Digital Commons Network^™

Tidying Up Attitudes, Queer Eye Style: Parasocial Contact With Asian Women And Gay Men, Shay Xuejing Yao, Morgan Ellithorpe, Liam Cuddy, Aysha Siddika, Hira Nadeem, Mackenzie Myer

Communication Faculty Publications

The Parasocial Contact Hypotheses (PCH) posits that mediated contact with social outgroups can result in more positive attitudes. The present study includes Asian women as a specific identity group that has yet to be studied in the context of PCH. It also includes gay men as a comparison group for the same processes. Participants (n=241) were exposed in a two-condition experiment to either Queer Eye (2018 version; gay men as target group) or Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (Asian women as target group). Only social attraction significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to Queer Eye and attitudes toward gay men. …

Feeling Inspired And Nostalgic: Associations Between Media Context-Induced Positive Emotions And Behavioral Change Among Vaccine-Hesitant Individuals In The Late Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hue Trong Duong, Mor Yachin, Zachary Massey

Communication Faculty Publications

Campaigns to promote the COVID-19 vaccination messages to vaccine-hesitant consumers in the late stages of the pandemic are often met with resistance. This study explores a way to leverage positive emotions induced from entertainment media consumption to promote vaccination messages to this audience group. An online experiment was conducted with vaccine-hesitant consumers (N = 409). Participants viewed personally relevant entertainment music videos or mundane videos and vaccinated messages embedded in user-generated comments. Data revealed that feelings of inspiration and nostalgia induced from entertainment media consumption increased vaccination intentions via increased risk perceptions and reduced anti-vaccination attitudes. Social marketers should consider …

Development And Validation Of The Female Gamer Stereotypes Scale (Fgss), Shay Xuejing Yao, Morgan Ellithorpe, David Ewoldsen, Franklin J. Boster

Communication Faculty Publications

Female gamers belong to a stereotyped social group. The stereotypes associated with female gamers may be associated with issues such as sexism and gender discrimination in the gaming community. However, few tools exist to properly assess the complex nature of the stereotypes held about this group. The present paper describes the development and validation of the Female Gamer Stereotypes Scale (FGSS), which offers a multifaceted measure of the stereotypical beliefs toward women who play video games. Five first-order FGSS factors have emerged and been consistent with data across three studies. The five dimensions target areas of stereotypes toward female gamers …

Predicting Black Parents’ Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment: A Moderated-Mediation Model Of Frequency And Valence Of Childhood Experiences, Hue Trong Duong, Akansha Sirohi, Kathleen M. Baggett

Communication Faculty Publications

Child corporal punishment (CP) may lead to child physical abuse, which is a public health concern in the U.S. The present study examined major risk factors predicting attitudes toward CP among a sample of Black parents (N = 394), including frequency and valence of experiences of CP during childhood, outcome expectancies of CP, and perceptions of self-efficacy and response efficacy of non-physical discipline strategies. Structural equation modeling results revealed that the indirect associations between CP frequency and attitudes through self-efficacy and response efficacy were moderated by CP valence. Results extend the literature and point to the need for incorporating information …

Protecting A Positive View Of The Self: Strategic Self-Attribution Of Stereotypes Among Women Video Game Players, Shay Xuejing Yao, Nancy Rhodes

Communication Faculty Publications

In two survey studies, one with a college student sample (n = 249) and one with an adult sample (n = 319), we tested self-stereotyping strategies among women video game players to protect their self-image from prevalent negative stereotypes of women gamers. Our results revealed that one strategy is to weaken their commitment to the women gamer identity, and another is to strategically reject some aspects of the identity while continuing to endorse others. Specifically, we found that strongly committed women gamers believed that the stereotypes are as descriptive of the typical women players as of themselves, while weakly committed …

Public Records Aren't Public: Systemic Barriers To Measuring Court Functioning & Equity, Kat Albrecht, Kaitlyn Filip

CJC Publications

In a new era of computational legal scholarship, computational tools exist with the capacity to quickly and efficiently reveal hidden inequalities in the justice system. Technically, the laws exist that legally entitle the public to the requisite court records. However, the opaque bureaucracy of the courts prevents us from connecting the public to documents they technically own. We exemplify this legal ethical problem by investigating areas of law where codified protections against inequalities exist and where computational tools could help us understand if those protections are being enforced. In general, the computational requirements of such projects needn't be complex, making …

Gamer Girl Vs. Girl Gamer: Stereotypical Gamer Traits Increase Men’S Play Intention, Shay Xuejing Yao, David Ewoldsen, Morgan Ellithorpe, Brandon Van Der Heide, Nancy Rhodes

Communication Faculty Publications

The present study utilized two theories (the common ingroup identity model; expectation states theory) to examine male players’ intention to play video games with a female player. Consistent with the common ingroup identity model, male participants who were exposed to a pseudo Xbox profile presenting a woman as a stereotypical gamer showed stronger identification with the gamer category compared to those who saw a profile presenting her as a stereotypical female player. These male participants in turn showed stronger intention to play video games with the woman in the Xbox profile. Results also supported expectation states theory, suggesting that viewing …

Trust And Coping Beliefs Contribute To Racial Disparities In Covid-19 Vaccination Intention, Nikki Mcclaran, Nancy Rhodes, Shay Xuejing Yao

Communication Faculty Publications

Racial disparities in intention to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination have been noted in academic and popular press reports. The present study sought to identify cognitive and affective factors that contribute to the observed lack of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, even before a vaccine was made publicly available, among Black and White Americans through a national survey (N = 487; 50.6% female, 24.8% Black). Our findings are consistent with previous studies that Black respondents had lower intention to obtain the eventual COVID-19 vaccine than White respondents. Protection motivation theory's construct of coping efficacy and an additional COVID-19-relevant variable, trust in vaccination, …

When Vaccine Uncertainty Prevails: Association Between Online Social Influence And Covid-19 Vaccine Intentions, Hue Trong Duong, Tham Thi Nguyen, Le Thanh Trieu

Communication Faculty Publications

Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction and the social identity of deindividuation effects model, this study used an online experiment (N = 322) to test a moderated-mediation model that linked exposure to user comments posted to COVID-19 vaccine news stories and vaccine intentions. The study was conducted in Vietnam when the Delta variant of COVID-19 spread to the country and the efficacy and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine were controversial in the news. Results showed that, compared with vaccine-hesitancy comments, vaccine-acceptance comments significantly increased vaccine intentions through injunctive norms, response efficacy, and attitudes. This indirect association …

Are Smokers Scared By Covid-19 Risk? How Fear And Comparative Optimism Influence Smokers’ Intentions To Take Measures To Quit Smoking, Hue Trong Duong, Zachary Massey, Victoria Churchill, Lucy Popova

Communication Faculty Publications

Research suggests that smoking may compound the risk of serious health problems to smokers who contract COVID-19. This study examines whether and how exposure to news stories reporting the severe COVID-19 risk to smokers may influence smokers’ emotional responses (fear, anxiety, and sadness) and intentions to take measures to quit smoking. Current smokers in the US participated in an online experiment (N = 495) and were randomized to read smoking risk news stories or news stories reporting the combined risk of smoking and COVID-19. We found that combined risk news stories lead to participants feeling more fearful and sadder than …

Applying The Integrative Model To Predict Intention To Use Corporal Punishment Among Low-Income Parents, Hue Trong Duong

Communication Faculty Publications

Child corporal punishment (CP) is associated with child physical abuse, which is a public health problem in the United States. Informed by the integrative model of behavioral prediction, this study surveyed low-income Black, Hispanic, and White parents who had children younger than 6 years old (N = 260) to identify major risk factors that determined intention to use CP to discipline children. Structural equation modeling revealed that attitudes, descriptive norms, and perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies were associated with intention to use CP. Additionally, parents’ childhood CP frequency and past use of CP with their own children were …

Risk Perception And Covid-19 Preventive Behaviors: Application Of The Integrative Model Of Behavioral Prediction, Hue Trong Duong, Hoa Thanh Nguyen, Soroya J. Mcfarlane, Long Nguyen

Communication Faculty Publications

Preventing the COVID-19 outbreak primarily depends on individuals’ willingness to adopt social distancing and mask wearing behaviors. However, little is known about what drives individuals to adopt these behaviors. Guided by the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction, this study surveyed 590 adults in the US during the early stages of the outbreak to identify factors influencing intentions to practice social distancing and wear masks. Structural equation modeling results show that while attitudes are positively associated with intentions to perform both behaviors, perceived norms are positively associated with intentions to wear masks, and self-efficacy is positively associated with intentions to practice …

Preventing The Covid-19 Outbreak In Vietnam: Social Media Campaign Exposure And The Role Of Interpersonal Communication, Hue Trong Duong, Long Nguyen, Soroya J. Mcfarlane, Hoa Thanh Nguyen, Khai The Nguyen

Communication Faculty Publications

The present study focused on the success story of Vietnam’s ability to control the COVID-19 outbreak in the early stages to examine the associations between exposure to the Vietnam Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 prevention social media campaign messages, interpersonal communication, attitudes, perceived norms, self-efficacy, and intentions to stay at home. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with residents in Ho Chi Minh City (N = 360). Results from mediation analyses indicated that interpersonal communication mediated the effect of social media campaign exposure on intentions to stay at home. Moreover, interpersonal communication shaped injunctive norms and self-efficacy that were conducive to …

‘It Brings Light To What You Really Put Into Your Body’: A Focus Group Study Of Reactions To Messages About Nicotine Reduction In Cigarettes, Hue Trong Duong, Emily E. Loud, James F. Thrasher, Katherine C. Henderson, David L. Ashley, Lucy Popova

Communication Faculty Publications

Objective: In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed regulation to lower nicotine in cigarettes to minimally addictive levels to help smokers quit. We sought to explore effective message strategies communicating about nicotine reduction in cigarettes across the different key audiences that the regulation is most likely to influence.

Methods: We designed four types of messages: efficacy messages, risk messages, a message about alternative sources of nicotine, and a compensation message. Sixteen virtual focus groups were conducted in Atlanta and San Francisco in April-May 2020. Data were analyzed in NVivo 12.0 using a thematic analysis approach. …

Identifying Knowledge, Self-Efficacy And Response Efficacy Of Alternative Discipline Strategies Among Low-Income Black, Latino And White Parents, Hue Trong Duong, Jennifer L. Monahan, Laura M. Mercer Kollar, Joanne Klevens

Communication Faculty Publications

Corporal punishment (CP) leads to detrimental mental and physical consequences for a child. One way to prevent CP is to encourage parents to apply alternative discipline strategies that do not involve violence. Based on the knowledge—behavior gap framework in public health education, this study analyzed the focus group data of 75 low-income Black, Latino and White parents to uncover commonalties and differences in their knowledge, self-efficacy and response efficacy of alternative discipline strategies. Findings revealed that parents knew several alternative discipline strategies and had confidence in their ability to conduct these strategies. However, parents reported that some strategies were hard …

Examining Sources Of Social Norms Supporting Child Corporal Punishment Among Low-Income Black, Latino, And White Parents, Hue Trong Duong, Jennifer L. Monahan, Laura M. Mercer Kollar, Joanne Klevens

Communication Faculty Publications

Child corporal punishment is a prevalent public health problem in the U.S. Although corporal punishment is sustained through parents’ perceptions of social norms supporting this discipline behavior, little research has investigated where these normative perceptions come from. To fill this gap, we conducted 13 focus groups including 75 low-income Black, Latino, and White parents across five states in the U.S. Results revealed that one influential source of Black and White parents’ perceived norms was their positive framing of corporal punishment experiences during childhood. Furthermore, Black parents formed normative perceptions based on identification with parents in their racial/ethnic group, while White …

Childhood Experiences And Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment: The Mediating Role Of Perceived Efficacy Of Alternative Discipline Strategies Among Low-Income Black, Hispanic, And White Parents, Hue Trong Duong

Communication Faculty Publications

Corporal punishment (CP) is associated with harmful outcomes to child development. Favorable attitudes toward CP are a major predictor of CP use. Thus, identifying and changing factors influencing such attitudes help to prevent CP. Although research has confirmed the effect of childhood experiences of CP on attitudes toward CP, few studies have examined mechanisms underpinning this association. To fill this gap, this study investigated the role of perceived efficacy of alternative discipline strategies in mediating the association between childhood experiences of CP and attitudes toward CP among low-income Black, Hispanic, and White parents. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with …

Common Ingroup Identity Model, Shay Xuejing Yao

Communication Faculty Publications

This entry introduces the Common Ingroup Identity Model. In intergroup interactions, it is possible for ingroup members to make biased judgments toward both ingroup and outgroup members. People tend to evaluate ingroup members positively and outgroup members negatively. The Common Ingroup Identity Model proposes that intergroup bias can be reduced by transforming the group boundaries from “us” versus “them” into a more general “we” that include all the original in- and outgroup members.

Self-Categorization Theory, Shay Xuejing Yao

Communication Faculty Publications

Self-categorization theory (SCT) argues that people can perceive themselves as unique individuals or as members of a group (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987). SCT is a theory that explains the situations in which people perceive themselves as individuals or group entities and the implications of such perceptions. The target research area of SCT lies in the personal and group aspects of individual’s psychological process.

Activists’ Strategic Communication In An Authoritarian Setting: Integrating Social Movement Framing Into Issues Management, Hue Trong Duong, Hong Tien Vu, Nhung Nguyen

Communication Faculty Publications

Triangulating 18 in-depth interviews with activists and campaign participants, news coverage, and social media content related to the campaign “6,700 people for 6,700 trees,” this study integrates social movement framing theory and issues management framework to examine activists’ strategic communications in an authoritarian setting. Results indicate activists’ sophisticated use of framing strategies following different stages of the issue life cycle to legitimately form an issue and successfully manage the issue in order to achieve their goals. This study offers meaningful theoretical implications for examining strategic communication in social movement campaigns. It also discusses practical lessons for applying these strategies to …

Vaping In The News: The Influence Of News Exposure On Perceived E-Cigarette Use Norms, Hue Trong Duong, Jiaying Liu

Communication Faculty Publications

Background: Research has documented the impact of descriptive norms on tobacco use, but few studies have investigated how media exposure shapes e-cigarette use norms.

Purpose: To examine how exposure to e-cigarette related news articles shapes individuals’ descriptive norm perceptions about real-world e-cigarette use.

Method: The study implemented an experiment with 2 normative direction (high- vs. low-prevalence) x 2 exposure dosage (single- vs. double-dose) between-subject factorial design (N = 298). Analysis of variance and thematic analysis were conducted.

Results: Normative direction and exposure dosage of prevalence information contained in the news articles interacted to influence perceived descriptive norms. Increasing the …

The World As The American Frontier: Racialized Presidential War Rhetoric, Zoë Hess Carney, Mary Stuckey

Communication Faculty Publications

We use the frontier myth and the rhetoric of the Indian Wars as a heuristic for analyzing four racial valences in presidential rhetoric on the War on Terror. First, the naming of the enemy in both instances racializes and conflates identities, amplifying a potential threat and justifying a similarly amplified reaction. Second, the war zone is characterized by shifting borders and alliances, suggesting a racialized political hierarchy in which the United States wars against nonwhite tribal leaders. Third, presidents distinguish between savagery and civilization in war practices such that technology, specifically contrasted to trickery, is a marker of whiteness. Fourth, …

Encountering The Rebellion: Liquid Blackness Reflects On The Expansive Possibilities Of The L.A. Rebellion Films, Alessandra Raengo

Communication Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Global Production, Circulation, And Consumption Of Gangnam Style, Sookeung Jung, Hongmei Li

Communication Faculty Publications

This essay examines the cultural production, circulation, and consumption of the Korean music video Gangnam Style in the broader context of globalization. We conduct a chronological analysis of its distribution, production, and reproduction on YouTube, focusing on the interactions between traditional and new players in reinforcing and creating new meanings. We argue that the phenomenal success of Gangnam Style is due to the dynamic interplay of traditional and new media outlets, the active participation of global audiences, the video’s spreadable hooks, a laissez-faire copyright policy, and the musician PSY’s marketing strategies.

Out Of The Literary Comfort Zone: Adaptation, Embodiment, Assimilation, Alessandra Raengo

Communication Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Inspire Magazine: A Critical Analysis Of Its Significance And Potential Impact Through The Lens Of The Information, Motivation, And Behavioral Skills Model, Tony Lemieux, Jarret Brachman, Jason Levitt, Jay Wood

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper presents an analysis of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s English language publication Inspire that was conceptualized and conducted on the basis of the Information- Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) framework. The IMB model has been widely tested, validated, and applied across a range of behavior change interventions, and provides both a conceptual and analytic framework to examine the range and quality of content featured across the 11 issues of Inspire that were published and distributed online starting in July of 2010. Inspire has been implicated in multiple instances of terrorism cases in the U.S. and its impact and potential …

Civility, Democracy, And National Politics, Mary Stuckey, Sean Patrick O'Rourke

Communication Faculty Publications

This essay considers questions about civility raised in the discourse responding to the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona. Focusing on two sites of discord—the debate in the media and President Obama’s address at the memorial service for the victims—our analysis identifıes two conceptions of civility and their corresponding assumptions about democracy and community, provides a critique of both conceptions, and offers a conceptual framework for rhetorical critics studying civility.

Destabilized Artistry In The Rhetorical Presidency, Samuel Mccormick, Mary Stuckey

Communication Faculty Publications

The presidency was once a carefully scripted and carefully controlled site of speech production. Today’s media environment has not lessened efforts at control, but it has rendered these efforts increasingly difficult. Previously disruptive and disfluent ways of speaking now serve a useful role in presidential address, allowing mass-mediated audiences to apprehend the presidency in ways that appear to be more intimate and more authentic than careful scripting allows. In response to this new and fast-evolving rhetorical landscape, this essay develops an analytically, historically, and conceptually wide-ranging argument, inviting rhetorical scholars to supplement their abiding interest in traditional forms of presidential …

In The Shadow, Alessandra Raengo

Communication Faculty Publications

This essay pursues an understanding of the blackness of black cinema that is unhinged from the body of the maker or the content of the image. It does so by reading blackness through the visual paradigm of the shadow that is, as a blackness that cannot, either than ideologically, be attached to skin pigmentation, but indicates instead the body’s extension beyond itself into the social sphere. With a close analysis of a variety of visual texts, ranging from the shadow of a lynched body in a 1930s NAACP photograph, to the silhouettes of installation artist Kara Walker, to Scott McGhee …

Getting Your Bloke On: Gender Issues In The Reality Competition 'I Will Survive', Frank Miller

Communication Faculty Publications

The Australian reality competition "I Will Survive" set out to find a cast replacement for the leading role in the Broadway production of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." The stage version closed halfway through production the series, forcing a repositioning of the competition as the search to find "Australia's next triple threat." Even when the main prize was a role as a drag queen, however, the series presented a heterocentric approach to gender that treated drag less as a means of personal expression than as a part in a play that just happened to be about two gay men and …