Mary Beth Oliver

Portrayals of crime, race, and aggression in “reality‐based” police shows: A content analysis

A content analysis of “reality‐based” police shows (e.g., Cops.) was conducted to explore portrayals of crime, race, and aggression. Violent crime was overrepresented in the programs as was the percentage of crimes that were portrayed as solved. White characters were more likely to be portrayed as police officers than criminal suspects, whereas black and Hispanic characters were more likely to be portrayed as criminal suspects than police officers. Police officers were generally more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors than were criminal suspects, and black and Hispanic criminal suspects were more likely than white criminal suspects to be the recipient of unarmed physical aggression by police officers.

The 2008 Presidential Election, 2.0: A Content Analysis of User-Generated Political Facebook Groups

Although Facebook is primarily known for building and maintaining relationships, the 2008 presidential election highlighted this social networking website as a viable tool for political communication. In fact, during primary season until Election Day in 2008, Facebook users created more than 1,000 Facebook group pages that focused on Barack Obama and John McCain. Using quantitative content analysis, the primary purpose of this study was to assess how both John McCain and Barack Obama were portrayed across these Facebook groups. Results indicated that group membership and activity levels were higher for Barack Obama than for John McCain. Overall, Barack Obama was portrayed more positively across Facebook groups than John McCain. In addition, profanity, racial, religious, and age-related language were also coded for and varied with regard to how each candidate was portrayed. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Appreciation of Entertainment

The purpose of this article is to examine the experience of appreciation to media entertainment as a unique audience response that can be differentiated from enjoyment. To those ends, the first section provides a conceptualization of appreciation in which we outline how we are using the term and how it is distinct from questions of emotional valence. The second section discusses the types of entertainment portrayals and depictions that we believe are most likely to elicit feelings of appreciation. Here, we suggest that appreciation is most evident for meaningful portrayals that focus on human virtue and that inspire audiences to contemplate questions concerning life’s purpose. In the final section we consider the affective and cognitive components of appreciation, arguing that mixed-affective responses (rather than bi-polar conceptualizations of affective valence) better capture the experience of appreciation and its accompanying feelings states such as inspiration, awe, and tenderness.

Effects of sexual permissiveness on desirability of partner as a function of low and high commitment to relationship

We conducted two experiments to examine the predictions of the double standard and the evolutionary perspectives concerning the role of sexual permissiveness in desirability of partner at different levels of perceived commitment to relationship. Subjects reported their desired level of sexual permissiveness for either a low- or a high-commitment partner (Experiment 1), and evaluated the dating and the marriage desirability of either a permissive or a nonpermissive target person (Experiment 2)

Predictors of Viewing and Enjoyment of Reality-Based and Fictional Crime Shows

Telephone surveys were conducted in Virginia and Wisconsin to explore attitudinal predictors of exposure to and enjoyment of reality-based and fictional crime programs. Punitive attitudes about crime, higher levels of racial prejudice, and higher levels of authoritarianism were associated with more frequent viewing and greater enjoyment of reality-based programming, but were unrelated to enjoyment of fictional programming. Reality-based viewing and enjoyment were also more common among younger respondents, respondents with lower levels of education, and respondents who were heavier television viewers.

The Effect of Narrative News Format on Empathy for Stigmatized Groups

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which news story format (narrative vs. non-narrative) can initiate empathic processes that produce more favorable evaluations of stigmatized groups. Participants (N = 399) read one of two versions of a story that described health care–related dilemmas for either immigrants, prisoners, or the elderly. Narrative-formatted stories produce more compassion toward the individuals in the story, more favorable attitudes toward the group, more beneficial behavioral intentions, and more information-seeking behavior.

Activating and Suppressing Hostile and Benevolent Racism: Evidence for Comparative Media Stereotyping

This research examines the role of media literacy training and counter-stereotypical news stories in prejudice reduction. Research participants read either stereotypical or counter-stereotypical news stories after exposure to a media literacy video or a control video. After this, they completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that included Likert-type scales and feeling-thermometer ratings about their feelings toward African Americans, Asian-Indians, and Caucasian-Americans. The findings reveal that hostile prejudice is more likely to be expressed toward African-Americans and benevolent prejudice is more likely to be expressed toward Asian-Indians. As predicted, counter-stereotypical news stories as compared to stereotypical news stories decrease prejudice toward Asian-Indians. Contrary to expectations, the media literacy video seems to prime prejudices rather than suppress them. Interestingly, news stories about Asian-Indians increase hostility toward African-Americans. These comparative stereotyping are explained using modern racist beliefs and model minority stereotypes.

Moved to Think

Recent conceptualizations of eudaimonic entertainment and aesthetic experience highlight the role of emotions in stimulating rewarding experiences of insight, meaning, and reflectiveness among entertainment audiences. The current evidence is mainly correlational, however. This study used an experimental approach to examine the assumed causal influence of being moved, on reflective thoughts. Participants were randomly assigned to see one of two versions of a short film that elicited different levels of feeling moved, while keeping the cognitive, propositional content constant. Feeling moved was conceptualized and operationalized as an affective state characterized by negative valence, moderate arousal, mixed affect, and by the labeling of the experience in terms of feeling moved. As expected, the more moving film version elicited more reflective thoughts, which in turn predicted individuals’ overall positive experience of the film. The effect of the film stimulus on reflective thoughts was fully mediated b...

Age Differences in Adults Emotional Motivations for Exposure to Films

Participants in three age ranges (younger adults, 18–25, N = 188; middle adults, 26–49, N = 92; and older adults, 50 and over, N = 93) completed a questionnaire assessing motivations for everyday affective experiences as well as affective motivations for film viewing. In line with Arnetts (2000) view of emerging adulthood and Carstensen, Isaacowitz, and Charless (1999) theory of socioemotional selectivity, younger adults expressed the greatest interest in experiencing negative emotions in their everyday lives, in viewing dark, creepy, or violent content, and in viewing media to escape boredom and for amusement; older adults were most interested in experiencing emotional stability and in viewing films with uplifting, heartwarming content. Results suggest that lifespan differences may help explain the allure of hedonically negative programming among some groups.

Exploring the Effects of Online Advertising on Readers' Perceptions of Online News

This study examined how commercialization of Internet news sites can impact perceptions of news. An experiment (N=260) showed that perceptions of online news stories varied as a function of the presence or seriousness of online advertising and Internet use (light versus heavy). Among light Internet users, the inclusion of advertisements resulted in significantly lower perceived news value of hard news stories.