Rebecca M. Chory-Assad

Classroom justice: Perceptions of fairness as a predictor of student motivation, learning, and aggression

The present study examined the relationship between students’ perceptions of distributive and procedural justice in a college course and student motivation concerning the course, affective learning in the course, and aggression toward the course instructor. Although student perceptions of both distributive and procedural justice were positively correlated with student motivation and affective learning and negatively correlated with student aggression toward the course instructor, multiple regression analyses indicated that only perceptions of procedural justice predicted the three criterion variables at a statistically significant level while distributive justice perceptions did not. Implications and suggestions for future research in classroom justice are offered.

Television Exposure and the Public's Perceptions of Physicians

Past fictional television has tended to portray doctors in an extremely positive manner, while more recent fictional programming appears to portray physicians less positively. Based on Pfau, Mullen, and Garrows (1995) suggestion that exposure to televisions newer medical shows may lead to more negative feelings toward doctors, the present study examined the relationship between exposure to these and other fictional and non- fictional genres and perceptions of physicians. Results indicate negative relationships between exposure to prime-time doctor shows and perceptions, supporting Pfau et al.s prediction. Exposure to television news magazines, network news, and talk shows also predicted perceptions of physicians.

The Dimensionality of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale

Infante and Wigleys (1986) Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (VAS) is a widely accepted and frequently used measure of trait verbal aggression. Although the scale is almost always scored as if it were unidimensional, previous factor analytic studies provide evidence that it is multidimensional with two distinct factors. The present studies (N = 194 and 177) used confirmatory factor analysis to replicate the two‐factor solution. The two‐factor model was consistent with the data, and provides a better fit to the data than the unidimensional solution. The first factor, comprised of all aggressively worded, nonreflected items, appears to measure verbal aggressiveness as intended whereas the second factor, comprised of all reverse‐scored items (benevolently worded), appears to measure a communication style related to other‐esteem confirmation and supportiveness. Given this interpretation, it is recommended that only the 10 aggressively worded items be scored. Hamilton, Buck, and Chory‐Assad, in an adversarial collaborative discussion, agree that the VAS is bidimensional, but offer an alternative conceptual model. They hold that the two factors reflect selfish individualism and prosocial cooperation.

Television doctors: An analysis of physicians in fictional and non-fictional television programs

Although fictional television traditionally has portrayed doctors positively, recent fictional programming appears to portray physicians in a less positive manner. It has also been suggested that these images may conflict with depictions of doctors found on non-fictional television. A content analysis conducted here indicates that televisions physician portrayals are less positive than they were in 1992, contemporary genres differ in their physician depictions, and televisions doctor portrayals do not differ according to sex or race.

Hopelessness and Loneliness as Predictors of Older Adults' Involvement With Favorite Television Performers

This study examined viewer involvement by investigating the relationships between parasocial interaction, wishful identification, identification, and interest, and hopelessness and loneliness among older participants (M age = 63 years). Results indicate that parasocial interaction and interest in favorite performer were closely related and that wishful identification and identification were closely related but that parasocial interaction and interest were not strongly associated with wishful identification and identification. Furthermore, the cognitive, affective, and motivational dimensions of hopelessness predicted different types of viewer involvement in different directions. Finally, loneliness predicted wishful identification and frequency of exposure was not related to involvement.

Empathy and Affective Orientation as Predictors of Identification with Television Characters

This study examined the relationships between television viewers’ empathy and affective orientation and their identification with their favorite television characters. Results showed that viewers’ perspective taking and affective orientation positively predicted cognitive-emotional identification and group identification, and affective orientation positively predicted similarity identification. Similarity in viewer and favorite character sex and the genre in which the favorite character appeared also predicted identification.

Effects of Affective Orientation and Video Game Play on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors

This study examined the effects of playing a violent video game on aggressive thoughts and behaviors and the moderating role of affective orientation in the violent video game–aggression relationship. Approximately 2 weeks after having their affective orientation measured, 59 participants (plus 5 additional participants) played a violent or nonviolent video game for 10 minutes. Participants then performed a word completion task and judged the researchers competence, courtesy, and deservedness of financial support. Results show that participants who played the violent video game rated the researcher as less courteous and less deserving of financial support than did participants who played the nonviolent video game, and affective orientation and video game condition interacted to predict evaluations of courtesy and deservedness of financial support.

Perceptions of Instructor Interactional Justice as a Predictor of Student Resistance An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Cleveland, OH and was named a Top Four Paper in the Communication Education Interest Group.

This study examined students’ perceptions of instructor interactional justice as a predictor of students’ self-reported likelihood of using teacher-owned resistance strategies. Interactional justice refers to the fairness and quality of interpersonal treatment students receive from their instructors. Results indicate that students’ perceptions of instructor interactional justice negatively predicted the student resistance strategies of Teacher Advice, Teacher Blame, Appeal to Powerful Others, and Modeling Teacher Affect. This study suggests that instructors use interactional justice as a possible means to reduce student resistance.

The Relationship between Student Perceptions of Instructor Power and Classroom Justice This manuscript was presented as part of the Top Paper Panel to the Instructional Practices Interest Group of the Eastern Communication Association at its annual meeting in Pittsburgh, 2005.

The study investigated the relationships between student perceptions of instructor power and classroom justice. Partial correlations controlling for student grade expectations indicated that student perceptions of their instructors’ use of coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert power were related to perceptions of fairness in the classroom. Student perceptions of instructor use of reward power were not related to perceptions of any type of classroom justice.

The relationships among instructors’ antisocial behavior alteration techniques and student resistance

This study examined the relationships between instructors’ use of antisocial behavior alteration techniques (BATs) and students’ use of teacher‐owned resistance strategies. College students (N = 190) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of their instructors communication and their own behaviors in the classroom. Results of a canonical correlation suggest that a combination of higher levels of instructor use of the punishment from teacher, punishment from others, guilt, negative relationship, legitimate teacher authority, and debt BATs corresponds with a combination of higher levels of student resistance through teacher advice, teacher blame, appeal to powerful others, and modeling teachers affect.