Heather Crandall

Television Viewing and Perceptions About Race Differences in Socioeconomic Success

Content analyses indicate two predominant portrayals of African Americans in U.S. television: comfortable and successful, or unemployed and criminal. It is argued that this dichotomized presentation influences the publics perceptions of socio-economic success as well as perceived reasons for lack of success. This is explored in a survey (N = 139) of perceptions about the success of Blacks and Whites and the reasons for socioeconomic differences. Observed relationships between news viewing and perceived lack of motivation, as well as contradictory relations between estimates of educational achievement and sitcom and drama viewing, are discussed in the terms of modern racism.

Changing Negative Racial Stereotypes: The Influence of Normative Peer Information

This study proposes and tests a model of stereotype change based on social influence theories of opinion change. The model emphasizes the importance of the social environment, including peer groups and social roles, in the formation and maintenance of stereotypes. We focus on peer groups, and test the potential influence of normative peer information on stereotype change. Two hypotheses were tested: (H-1) Subjects presented with positive peer group stereotypical opinions about African Americans will have more positive stereotypes about African Americans compared to subjects presented with no information; and (H-2) Subjects presented with positive peer group stereotypical opinions about African Americans will have more positive racial attitudes in general compared to subjects presented with no information. A one factor, two-group experiment provided support for the first hypothesis but not for the second one. It was concluded that peer groups could influence stereotypic beliefs. People adjust their stereotypes to conform to beliefs of peer groups. However, this influence does not extend to general racial attitudes.This study proposes and tests a model of stereotype change based on social influence theories of opinion change. The model emphasizes the importance of the social environment, including peer groups and social roles, in the formation and maintenance of stereotypes. We focus on peer groups, and test the potential influence of normative peer information on stereotype change. Two hypotheses were tested: (H-1) Subjects presented with positive peer group stereotypical opinions about African Americans will have more positive stereotypes about African Americans compared to subjects presented with no information; and (H-2) Subjects presented with positive peer group stereotypical opinions about African Americans will have more positive racial attitudes in general compared to subjects presented with no information. A one factor, two-group experiment provided support for the first hypothesis but not for the second one. It was concluded that peer groups could influence stereotypic beliefs. People adjust their stereot...

The Influence of Instructor Social Presence and Student Academic Entitlement on Teacher Misbehaviors in Online Courses

This study investigated how student perceptions of prosocial instructor variables (immediacy, communication satisfaction, interpersonal attraction) and student academic entitlement predict graduate student reports of three dimensions (incompetent, indolent, and offensive) of teacher misbehaviors in online communication courses. Results revealed that communication satisfaction, immediacy, and task-related interpersonal attraction significantly predict student reports of incompetent and indolent teacher misbehaviors, while communication satisfaction and task- and social-related interpersonal attraction significantly predict perceptions of offensive teacher misbehaviors. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of the teacher-student relationship and instructor approaches in the computer-mediated classroom context.

Social Media for Social Justice: Cyberfeminism in the Digital Village

Cyberfeminism, which examines women’s relationship to the Internet, considers issues such as how power operates in online spaces, who has access to digital technologies, and how the design of online architecture may reproduce gender inequities. As social media becomes essential for nonprofit organizations to establish an online presence, attract supporters, and help ensure sustainable organizations, nonprofits become critical sites for examining the interplay of gender and technology and offer opportunities for applying cyberfeminist goals.

A Quantitative Research Methods Introductory Exercise

Courses: Introduction to Media, Communication Theory, Media and Society, Research Methods Objectives: This activity introduces students to three quantitative research methods: survey, content analysis, and experiment. Additionally, it allows students to distinguish among methods and demonstrates how these methods yield different data

Cast a Wide Net: Reconsidering Information for the 21st Century

In Change of State: Information, Policy, and Power, author Sandra Braman makes the case that we have moved from a bureaucratic welfare state to an information state. Braman offers a way to make sense of this shift as she focuses our attention on the realities we face in the United States as we settle into this information state. Change of State details the broad categories of information policy, forms of power, the U.S. Constitution, individual and social identity, structures, borders, and change. Underneath each of the broad categories Braman explores in Change of State, she provides a clean, well-organized structure. First the topic is defined, then historically sketched, then theoretically framed, and ultimately considered from different perspectives. This organizing principle successfully addresses a dilemma faced by many scholars and educators: How do you provide information to the uninitiated novice and satisfy the informed expert simultaneously? Answering this question, Braman’s organization and thorough treatment of each topic informs those new to the field of information policy, serving as a well-laid foundation from which to enter into any one of the discussions. Despite its comprehensive and exhaustive nature, and perhaps to some extent due to its precision, the text is accessible to graduate students just beginning their research into the field. At the same time, its almost encyclopedic wealth of information, sculpted and organized with Braman’s insights and analyses, earns Change of State a place on the shelf of every serious scholar, researcher, and policy maker as a most welcome and essential resource. Change of State can be described along four dimensions. One, it outlines current trends; for example, it provides a detailed description of the effects of the Patriot Act. Two, it details some contemporary struggles such as why it is difficult ‘‘to figure out