Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Running Up Against A Brick Wall: U.S. Metajournalistic Discourse Of Gender Equality In Newsrooms, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, Tim P. Vos

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Drawing on institutional theory, feminist critiques of three popular stances on gendered workplaces, and previous research about women in newsrooms, this study considers the metajournalistic discourse about gender equality in newsrooms through a discourse analysis of more than 500 online articles and blog posts in American journalism industry publications from January 2002 until September 2019. The findings confirm that the status of women journalists remains problematic. Journalists recognize that women remain underrepresented in terms of numbers and face a pay gap, glass ceiling, and various forms of harassment. Solutions are sometimes presented in terms of women’s individual empowerment. Arguments in …

Exploring Bottled Water Purchase Intention Via Trust In Advertising, Product Knowledge, Consumer Beliefs And Theory Of Reasoned Action, Carolyn A. Lin, Xiaowen Xu

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

As the bottled water market is projected to grow continuously worldwide, so is the plastic waste that pollutes the environment. The beverage industry’s marketing campaigns have played an important role in sustaining the popularity of bottled water. Social science theory-based empirical research examining how consumers make bottled water consumption decisions remains limited. To help fill this literature gap, the current study tested a conceptual framework to explore the influence of trust in bottled water advertising and perceived product knowledge on consumer beliefs about bottled water, in conjunction with theory of reasoned action. The study surveyed a sample of college students …

A Multi-Study Examination Of The Role Of Repeated Spaced Retrieval In The Word Learning Of Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Laurence B. Leonard, Sharon L. Christ, Patricia Deevy, Jeffrey D. Karpicke, Christine Weber, Eileen Haebig, Justin B. Kueser, Sofía Souto, Windi Krok

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Background

Many children with developmental language disorders (DLD) have well-documented weaknesses in vocabulary. In recent years, investigators have explored the nature of these weaknesses through the use of novel word learning paradigms. These studies have begun to uncover specific areas of difficulty and have provided hints about possible intervention strategies that might help these children learn words more accurately and efficiently. Among the studies of this type are those that incorporate repeated spaced retrieval activities in the learning procedures.

Methods

In this study, we examined the data from four of these studies that employed the same types of participants (4- …

Effects Of Website Credibility And Brand Trust On Responses To Online Behavioral Advertising, Xiaowen Xu, Tai-Yee Wub, David J. Atkin

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Online behavioral advertising that tracks user data has witnessed a dramatic increase in popularity. Using Psychological Reactance Theory, this study examines the effects of brand trust and website credibility on responses to behavioral advertising via privacy concerns. A 2 (brand trust: high vs. low) by 2 (website credibility: high vs. low) between-subjects experiment was conducted (N = 424). Results suggest that while brand trust influences purchase intention—as mediated via affective reactance— website credibility only exerts modest effects on the dependent variables. Implications for user perception factors and contextual factors—including ad effectiveness in the digital personalized marketing realm—are discussed.

Extending The Roberts Court’S Affirmation Of Individual Expressive Rights To The First Amendment Claim In Masterpiece Cakeshop, Nancy J. Whitmore

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

Review Of Kaitlynn Mendes, Jessica Ringrose, And Jessalynn Keller, Digital Feminist Activism: Girls And Women Fight Back Against Rape Culture, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

Help A Fan Out? Effects Of Fandom Type And Task Type On People’S Behavioral Intentions Toward Different Types Of Fans In A Collaborative Effort, Anita Atwell Seate Atwell Seate, Rong Ma, E. L. Cohen, Irina Iles

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

There is mounting evidence that fans of science fiction/fantasy media texts are more likely to be socially stigmatized than sports fans, but the implications of this stigma for social interaction have not been established. To examine the roles of fandom community membership and social context in causing social perceptions of, and behavioral intentions toward, popular media culture fandom community members, we conducted a 2 (partner fandom type: science fiction/fantasy vs. sports) × 2 (task type: social task vs. technical task) between-subjects experiment. Results reveal that the science fiction/fantasy fan was perceived as less physically attractive and more task attractive compared …

A Content Analysis Case Study Of Media And Public Trust In Japan: After The Quake, Rose G. Campbell

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) earthquake off the Pacific coast of Honshu, Japan, caused a devastating tsunami, killing thousands of people. The 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake also created a partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, operated by TEPCO. TEPCO’s and Japan’s government response during this tragedy is the focus of this study. How institutions handle crises impacts public trust in institutions, which is a central theme. Using Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) as a framework, a content analysis of a U.S. national newspaper and a Japan-based English language newspaper was conducted covering a …

Statistical Distributions Of Consonant Variants In Infant-Directed Speech: Evidence That /T/ May Be Exceptional, Laura Dilley, Jessica Gamache, Yuanyuan Wang, Derek M. Houston, Tonya R. Bergeson

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Statistical distributions of phonetic variants in spoken language influence speech perception for both language learners and mature users. We theorized that patterns of phonetic variant processing of consonants demonstrated by adults might stem in part from patterns of early exposure to statistics of phonetic variants in infant-directed (ID) speech. In particular, we hypothesized that ID speech might involve greater proportions of canonical /t/ pronunciations compared to adult-directed (AD) speech in at least some phonological contexts. This possibility was tested using a corpus of spontaneous speech of mothers speaking to other adults, or to their typically-developing infant. Tokens of word-final alveolar …

Generating Civically-Engaged Undergraduate Student Scientists In General Education Classrooms, Tara T. Lineweaver, Tonya R. Bergeson

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Prototypicality And Gender Salience On Liking And Friendship Potential Of A Female Interlocutor, Rong Ma, Anita Atwell Seate Atwell Seate, Nick Joyce

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Drawing on self-categorization theory, this article examines the indirect effects of gender salience and prototypicality on friendship potential through increasing liking of a female interlocutor. We manipulated biographies of the fictitious interlocutor to change perceptions of prototypicality. For women, gender salience interacted with prototypicality to directly predict liking and the desire to become friends with the interlocutor indirectly through liking. Specifically, there was an interaction between prototypicality and gender salience, such that as gender salience increased, the prototypical interlocutor was liked significantly more and had higher friendship potential. For men, the same relationships did not appear. We discuss the implications …

Making Meaning Of Media Development Today, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This article aims to fill a gap in the academic literature on how employees at a mediadevelopment intermediary construct meaning of their work. Based on in-depth interviewswith 18 employees of Internews, this research shows that employees believe theorganization has “evolved” from the past to include the entire “information ecosystem”today. Themes that emerged include a focus on information as a solution, an emphasis onlocal communities, the desire to give voice to marginalized communities, and a practiceof listening. Interviewees strictly adhered to official narratives of their work and tocontemporary development orthodoxy, perhaps because of group think and participantbias. Despite these narratives, we …

Gender Issues In News Coverage, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This entry discusses the participation and representation of women in the news media. Women entered journalism primarily to appeal to female audiences in the 19^th century and were expected to write about topics considered to be of interest for women, such as food, fashion, family and furniture. Today, global studies show that women remain underrepresented at all levels of news organizations, with a glass ceiling preventing women from rising to top positions. Female journalists are especially facing challenges in war reporting and sports reporting, and as opinion columnists. In terms of representation, women are frequently represented in a negative …

Cultivating Intergroup Emotions: An Intergroup Threat Theory Approach, Anita Atwell Seate Atwell Seate, Rong Ma, Hsin-Yi Chien, Dana Mastro

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

The current study tests whether media consumption is associated with negative intergroup emotions toward Blacks, Latinos, and Asians and whether media use indirectly influences intergroup emotions via threat perceptions. We do so using a two-study survey design. Results from Study 1 indicated that media consumption is associated with anger toward Latinos and Asians but not anger toward Blacks. We also found that media use was associated with anxiety toward Blacks, Latinos, and Asians. Results from Study 2 indicated that media use indirectly influences anger and anxiety toward Blacks and Latinos through perceptions of threat. Media consumption did not indirectly influence …

Appraisal Models Of Intercultural Communication Apprehension Among Sojourners., Rong Ma, Dale Hample

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

We used R. S. Lazarus’ (Emotion and Adaptation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991) appraisal theory of emotions to propose a theoretical model of anxiety, upon which we built two empirical models centering on intercultural communication apprehension (ICA), distinguished by timing. We tested the models in three samples: Chinese in the US (N = 268), US Americans who studied abroad (N = 419), and US Americans in the US (N = 515). The models achieved good fit. The results showed that during an anticipated or actual intercultural interaction, people had multiple, potentially conflicting goals. The goal-related appraisals …

Panacea, Placebo Or Prudence: Perspectives And Constraints For Corporate Dialogue, Øyvind Ihlen, Abbey Levenshus

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Public relations has long been preoccupied with the notion of dialogue, and the advent of social media ushered in new enthusiasm. Still, despite the technology on offer and the fact that dialogue has become a value that ‘everyone’ embraces, most research concludes that little actual dialogue takes place between corporations and their stakeholders. Scholars have pointed to a host of different factors to explain this, ranging from practitioners’ lack of time to their lack of understanding of what dialogue is. This article discusses perspectives on corporate dialogue with a focus on the constraints identified in the literature, before presenting the …

The Motivational Pull Of Video Game Feedback, Rules, And Social Interaction: Another Self-Determination Theory Approach, Ryan Rogers

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This paper argues that most video game enjoyment can be understood in terms of the type of feedback used, the rules set out by the game and the social elements of the game - concepts that have been identified as critical to video games. Self-determination theory (SDT) is used as a lens for understanding the mechanism by which these traits might lead to enjoyment. Specifically, the argument is that feedback, rules, and social elements of games will fulfill the dimensions of SDT - competence autonomy, and relatedness. Then, the dimensions of SDT will predict enjoyment. Participants were presented with a …

The Minimized Face Of Internal Communication: An Exploration Of How Public Relations Agency Websites Frame Internal Communication And Its Connection To Social Media, Abbey Levenshus, Laura Lemon

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Internal communication is increasingly vital to organizational success due to the influence of social media, yet it remains understudied within public relations research. Using a qualitative content analysis of 181 websites, this study examines how leading public relations agency websites frame the value of internal communication and its connection to social media. Findings reveal internal communication is largely missing from the frame. When explicitly referenced, it is mostly framed as synonymous with employee communication as a means for management to communicate to employees, though some portrayals are more robust. Websites frame internal communication’s value as enhancing financial outcomes by improving …

Reexamining The Use Of Tentative Language In Emails: The Effects Of Gender Salience And Gender Typicality, Rong Ma, Anita Atwell Seate Atwell Seate

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Drawing on self-categorization theory, the current study examines the effects of gender salience and interlocutor gender typicality on men and women’s use of tentative language in emails. We conducted an experiment manipulating identity salience using gender-stereotypic conversation topics, and typicality using biographies of the fictitious female interlocutor. The results were consistent with self-categorization theory and previous research on gender-based language use: Men were more tentative when discussing a conversation topic in which their gender group was not considered experts. More important, interlocutor gender typicality influenced participants’ tentative language, such that when the interlocutor was a typical woman, men and women …

“This Is Who We Are!” National Identity Construction And The 2014 Fifa World Cup, Anita Atwell Seate Atwell Seate, Rong Ma, Irina Iles, Thomas Mccloskey, Shawn Parry-Giles

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Drawing on the literature on American nationalism and the social identity perspective, this study examines the effects of mediasport on nationalized attitudes, using both rhetorical and experimental approaches. First, a rhetorical analysis examined the nationalistic themes featured in the game promotional ad of the United States versus Ghana soccer match in World Cup 2014, linking these themes to the republicanism/liberalism paradox in American political thought. Using the social identity perspective, we predicted the effects of these themes on U.S. participants’ nationalized attitudes and tested our hypotheses using an experiment. Experimental findings indicate that exposure to nationalistic rhetoric indirectly increases uncritical …

Fun Versus Meaningful Video Game Experiences: A Qualitative Analysis Of User Responses, Ryan Rogers, Julia Woolley, Brett Sherrick, Nicholas David Bowman, Mary Beth Oliver

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Emerging research on video games has suggested that feelings of both enjoyment and meaningfulness can be elicited from gameplay. Studies have shown enjoyment and meaningfulness evaluations to be associated with discrete elements of video games (ratings of gameplay and narrative, respectively), but have relied on closed-end data analysis. The current study analyzed participants’ open-ended reviews of either their “most fun” or “most meaningful” video game experience (N = 575, randomly assigned to either condition). Results demonstrated that “fun” games were explained in terms of gameplay mechanics, and “meaningful” games were explained in terms of connections with players and in-game characters.

Adaptation Of Phonetics Course Material To Accommodate A Blind Student, Mary Gospel, Kathleen Camire, Haley Summer

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Familiarity And Presentation Mode On Auditory-Visual Speech Recognition In Adults With Aphasia, Rachel Hahn Arkenberg, Mary Gospel

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

It’S Not The Model That Doesn’T Fit, It’S The Controller! The Role Of Cognitive Skills In Understanding The Links Between Natural Mapping, Performance, And Enjoyment Of Console Video Games, Ryan Rogers, Nicholas David Bowman, Mary Beth Oliver

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This study examines differences in performance, frustration, and game ratings of individuals playing first person shooter video games using two different controllers (motion controller and a traditional, pushbutton controller) in a within-subjects, randomized order design. Structural equation modeling was used to demonstrate that cognitive skills such as mental rotation ability and eye/hand coordination predicted performance for both controllers, but the motion control was significantly more frustrating. Moreover, increased performance was only related to game ratings for the traditional controller input. We interpret these data as evidence that, contrary to the assumption that motion controlled interfaces are more naturally mapped than …

Eliciting Behavior From Interactive Narratives: Isolating The Role Of Agency In Connecting With And Modeling Characters, Francesca R. Dillman, Ryan Rogers, Lisa Barnard

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

A key component differentiating interactive storytelling from non-interactive media is agency, or control over character choices. A series of experiments show that providing agency over a character increased the user-character connection, which then increased engagement in a character-consistent charitable act. Findings were observed in technologically simple online narratives that controlled for navigation/controller differences, graphics, sounds, lengthy play, and avatar customization. Effects emerged even though users did not practice these acts by making their character behave charitably. Findings were robust across happy and unfortunate endings and across first-, second-, and third-person narrative perspectives. Findings suggest promise for developing inexpensive ‘‘storygames’’ to …

Shaved Or Saved? Disciplining Women’S Bodies, Casey R. Kelly, Kristen Hoerl

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Proponents of sexual liberation and abstinence-until-marriage advocates appear to be on opposing ends of the sociopolitical spectrum; however, both are invested in the regulation of women’s vaginas. We argue that the rhetoric of both communities produces the same disciplinary configuration for the control of women’s bodies. Both communities instruct women that the appearance of a prepubescent and pure vagina is essential to sexual appeal and self-care. Whether sex positive or sex negative, both communities articulate a model of sexual health that negates women’s status as active, desiring subjects. Ultimately, we argue that public scrutiny of women’s vaginas implicitly and overtly …

“I’M Here To Do Business. I’M Not Here To Play Games.” Work, Consumption, And Masculinity In Storage Wars, Mark A. Rademacher, Casey R. Kelly

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

This essay examines the first season of Storage Wars and suggests the program helps mediate the putative crisis in American masculinity by suggesting that traditional male skills are still essential where knowledge supplants manual labor. We read representations of “men at work” in traditionally “feminine” consumer markets, as a form of masculine recuperation situated within the culture of White male injury. Specifically, Storage Wars appropriates omnivorous consumption, thrift, and collaboration to fit within the masculine repertoire of self-reliance, individualism, and competition. Thus, the program adapts hegemonic masculinity by showcasing male auction bidders adeptly performing feminine consumer practices. Whether the feminine …

Cooking Without Women: The Rhetoric Of The New Culinary Male, Casey R. Kelly

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Casey Kelly's contribution to Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Volume 12, Issue 2.

Exoticizing Poverty In Bizarre Foods America, Casey R. Kelly

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

“Get Rich Or Die Buying:” The Travails Of The Working-Class Auction Bidder, Mark A. Rademacher

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

A critique of the popular reality television show, Storage Wars.