Laramie D. Taylor

Effects of visual and verbal sexual television content and perceived realism on attitudes and beliefs

Previous studies of the effects of sexual television content have resulted in mixed findings. Based on the information processing model of media effects, I proposed that the messages embodied in such content, the degree to which viewers perceive television content as realistic, and whether sexual content is conveyed using visual or verbal symbols may influence the nature or degree of such effects. I explored this possibility through an experiment in which 182 college undergraduates were exposed to visual or verbal sexual television content, neutral television content, or no television at all prior to completing measures of sexual attitudes and beliefs. Although exposure to sexual content generally did not produce significant main effects, it did influence the attitudes of those who perceive television to be relatively realistic. Verbal sexual content was found to influence beliefs about womens sexual activity among the same group.

Women’s and Men’s Eating Behavior Following Exposure to Ideal-Body Images and Text:

Two experiments tested the effects of exposure to ideal-body images and text on young adults’ eating behavior. Women viewed slides depicting images of slender female models with no text, with diet- and exercise-related (congruent) text, with irrelevant (incongruent) text, or no slides (control). Men viewed slides depicting images of muscular male models in the same four conditions. Among women with a discrepancy between perceptions of their actual body and the body their same-gender peers believe they ought to have, exposure to images alone and images plus congruent text led to a reduction in the amount eaten in front of female peers. Among men with the same discrepancy, exposure to images alone and images plus congruent text led to an increase in the amount eaten in front of male peers. The distinctions between ideal-body images and text as stimuli, and between male and female eating behaviors as self-presentational strategies, are considered in the discussion.

Bones, body parts, and sex appeal: An analysis of #thinspiration images on popular social media

The present study extends research on thinspiration images, visual and/or textual images intended to inspire weight loss, from pro-eating disorder websites to popular photo-sharing social media websites. The article reports on a systematic content analysis of thinspiration images (N=300) on Twitter and Pinterest. Images tended to be sexually suggestive and objectifying with a focus on ultra-thin, bony, scantily-clad women. Results indicated that particular social media channels and labels (i.e., tags) were characterized by more segmented, bony content and greater social endorsement compared to others. In light of theories of media influence, results offer insight into the potentially harmful effects of exposure to sexually suggestive and objectifying content in large online communities on body image, quality of life, and mental health.

Death and television: terror management theory and themes of law and justice on television.

Based on terror management theory, it was hypothesized that media choices may be affected by the salience of death-related thoughts. Three experiments with samples of undergraduate students were conducted to investigate whether such a process would affect preferences for law and justice television programming. In the first experiment (n = 132), individuals for whom mortality had been made salient through experimental induction preferred more programs with law and justice themes than individuals for whom mortality had not been made salient. In the second experiment (n = 161), this effect was observed regardless of trust in law enforcement and only for participants induced to think about death, not those induced to think about pain. In the third experiment (n = 163), participants for whom mortality was salient who watched a crime drama that showed justice being carried out showed a diminished self-enhancing bias compared to participants who watched a version of the same program in which justice was thwarted. Results indicate that entertainment choices are influenced by thought of death beyond simply seeking distraction and that entertainment programming emphasizing justice can effectively ameliorate existential anxiety that arises from thoughts of death.

Watching Aggressive, Attractive, Female Protagonists Shapes Gender Roles for Women Among Male and Female Undergraduate Viewers

The impact of exposure to media representations of aggressive, attractive, female protagonists on audiences’ gender role expectations for women was explored through a laboratory experiment with 122 undergraduates from a large university on the west coast of the United States. Participants viewed a segment of a major Hollywood motion picture that featured a female protagonist who was either highly attractive or less attractive and either highly aggressive or not aggressive. Viewing clips featuring a female protagonist who was both aggressive and stereotypically attractive led to greater endorsement of stereotypically feminine and stereotypically masculine gender role expectations for women. The effect on endorsement of stereotypically masculine expectations was partially mediated by the perception that the protagonist was a good role model for women. Although women endorsed both feminine and masculine gender role expectations for women more strongly than men, the effects of exposure to aggressive, attractive, female protagonists were similar for both male and female participants. Results are discussed in terms of gender stereotype activation and superwoman expectations for women.

Narrator Point of View and Persuasion in Health Narratives: The Role of Protagonist-Reader Similarity, Identification, and Self-Referencing.

Narratives are often used in messages about health threats. We posited that a 1st-person point of view (POV) narrative would have a greater effect than a 3rd-person POV on the mediators identification and self-referencing—an effect moderated by protagonist–reader similarity. Higher levels of identification and self-referencing were expected to elevate susceptibility and severity perceptions, leading to persuasion. Participants ages ≤30 years were recruited from a crowdsource website and randomly assigned to read one version of a faux magazine article about caffeine overdose. Article versions were defined by a 2 (1st- or 3rd-person POV) × 2 (similar or dissimilar protagonist) design. To manipulate similarity, we had respondents read an article in which the protagonist was also young (24 years of age) and of the same sex or much older (54 years of age) and of the opposite sex. Participants then completed a questionnaire measuring study variables. Contrary to expectations, POV did not affect identification or self-referencing. However, similarity directly impacted identification, which in turn influenced severity perceptions. Self-referencing was not affected by the experimental manipulations but had a direct effect on susceptibility and also mediated the identification → susceptibility relationship. Susceptibility and severity perceptions were associated with greater levels of persuasion. Implications for message design are discussed.

Media effects in middle childhood.

The telecommunications revolution of the twentieth century has created a new environment for our children. Radio, television, movies, videos, video games, and computer networks have assumed central roles in socializing our children while parents may have lost influence. For better or worse, the mass media have an enormous impact on our childrens values, beliefs, and behaviors. No examination of middle childhood environments can be complete without understanding the influences of the mass media. Of course, it is beyond the scope of this chapter to review all of the effects that the mass media have on youth in middle childhood. Excellent recent reviews of media effects on children are available (Anderson et al., 2003; Comstock & Paik, 1991; Huston & Wright, 1997; Palmer & Young, 2003; Singer & Singer, 2001). Instead, in this chapter, we will first elaborate the theory that has developed to explain the different ways in which media exert both short- and long-term influences on childrens behaviors and cognitions. We will also review some of the characteristics of media presentations and some of the individual differences in children that have been shown to moderate these effects. Finally, we will review the empirical evidence on the effects of the exposure to the mass media in childhood on four dimensions of behavior and beliefs: (a) violent and aggressive behavior, (b) body image and obesity, (c) stereotype formation, and (d) learning and academic achievement.

Dying to Watch

Research has shown that thoughts about death influence sexual cognitions and some media choices. The present study tested the hypothesis that thoughts about death may affect individuals’ tendency t...

Male Partner Selectivity, Romantic Confidence, and Media Depictions of Partner Scarcity

An experiment was conducted to explore the effects of exposure to partner scarcity or abundance messages on mens partner selectivity, romantic confidence, and self-assessed attractiveness. Undergraduate male participants watched a soap opera narrative featuring either two men competing over one potential female partner (partner scarcity) or two women competing over one potential male partner (partner abundance). Relative to control subjects, watching either narrative reduced romantic confidence. Experimental condition also affected partner selectivity and self-assessed attractiveness, though both effects were moderated by endorsement of traditional masculine ideology. Viewing the abundance narrative resulted in greater selectivity and self-assessed attractiveness for men high in endorsement of traditional masculinity but diminished selectivity and self-assessed attractiveness for men low in endorsement of traditional masculine identity.

Third-person effects and direct-to-consumer advertisements for antidepressants.

Background: This study examines the evidence for a third‐ person effect (TPE) in the reactions of individuals affected by depression to direct‐to‐consumer (DTC) advertisements for antidepressants. TPE predicts that people will perceive the self to be less vulnerable to such advertisements than others. Previous research has identified such an effect, but did so in general population surveys. Past Previous research has also found a link between depression and diminished self‐serving biases; whether this would be the case for TPE is unknown. Methods: An online questionnaire was administered to 148 participants in an Internet depression support group to investigate their perceptions of the influence of direct‐to‐consumer (DTC) advertisements for antidepressants. Results: Consistent with expectations derived from third‐person effect TPE research, participants, although relatively neutral in their attitudes toward such advertisements, nevertheless perceived other individuals with depression as more influenced than themselves. Positive attitudes towards DTC advertisements and depressive symptoms at the time of the survey were each negatively associated with this third‐person perception (TPE). Conclusions: Individuals who have been diagnosed with depression and who participated in an online depression support group believe that they are less vulnerable to the influence of DTC advertisements than the typical person with a history of depression. This is moderated by attitudes towards DTC advertisements as well as by depressive symptoms, each of which is associated with a weakened TPE. Depression and Anxiety, 2011.