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You Are What You Read: Gender-Typed Lifestyle Magazine Exposure In Relation To Gender Conformity and Attitude Accessibility

Soduk, Stephanie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243547921

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Communication.
The study at hand examines gender conformity and its link with selective exposure to gender-typed lifestyle magazines. Gender conformity has very rarely been measured in this field, and in this study serves to demonstrate the difference between the dichotomous variable of biological sex and the continuous variable of gender. In addition to this distinction, gender is also being measured in terms of accessibility, whereas participants' response times were measured in addition to their answer selections. In order to measure this link an experiment was used. Baseline gender conformity and accessibility were measured, and approximately one week later participants were summoned to a lab where experimentation occurred. In this session participants were put in a waiting room where they had the opportunity to selectively expose themselves to gender-typed lifestyle magazines of either their own sex or the opposite sex. Participants were videotaped at this point in order to measure what magazines they selected and for how long they looked at the magazines. Following this exposure to stimulus participants were once again examined in terms of gender conformity and accessibility, and data was gathered based upon changes from the first session to the second session. Results indicate that gender-typed exposure to magazines occurs regardless of one’s level of gender conformity, meaning that females chose feminine-typed magazines and males chose masculine-typed magazines. Accessibility of gender-conformity traits was increased after selective exposure to participants' own gender-typed magazines, but gender conformity responses were not affected. Additionally, results show that participants who report preferring certain gender-typed magazines also have increased accessibility to gender-conformity trait responses. The preference for male gender-typed magazines also is related to male gender-conformity responses. Results have multiple important implications. First the importance of measuring gender on a continuum and in terms of accessibility is supported, in that it explains some variance in media preference and indicates effects that magazines may cause. In terms of magazine exposure, results highlight the level of impact that they can potentially have in the long and short terms. In the long term as well as short term they potentially increase accessibility to gender-conformity traits.
Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, PhD (Advisor)
Amy Nathanson, PhD (Committee Member)
57 p.
Communication
magazine; gender; selective exposure; conformity; accessibility

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Soduk, S. (2009). You Are What You Read: Gender-Typed Lifestyle Magazine Exposure In Relation To Gender Conformity and Attitude Accessibility [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243547921

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Soduk, Stephanie. You Are What You Read: Gender-Typed Lifestyle Magazine Exposure In Relation To Gender Conformity and Attitude Accessibility. 2009. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243547921.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Soduk, Stephanie. "You Are What You Read: Gender-Typed Lifestyle Magazine Exposure In Relation To Gender Conformity and Attitude Accessibility." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1243547921

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.