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Measuring Representativeness: The Creation and Testing of the Representativeness of Mediated Characters Scale (RMCS)

Dale, Katherine R
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1433851819

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Communication.
Mediated intergroup contact can influence the way that we perceive others, particularly for individuals who have little contact with outgroup members. In fact, watching positive mediated interactions between ingroup and outgroup members can lead to improved attitudes toward the outgroup. However, interpersonal contact research has found that the extent to which an individual is seen as typical or representative of a group will influence changes in attitudes and stereotypes at the group level. Although a number of researchers have examined representativeness in interpersonal situations, few have explicitly tested this hypothesis in a mediated context. These studies have encountered issues when exploring representativeness that may be due to both a limitation in measurement and a confounding of representativeness with stereotypicality. The purpose of this dissertation is to create and test the Representativeness of Mediated Characters Scale (RMCS) in order to measure character representativeness. Presented here is a series of four studies aimed at exploring representativeness and its effects on positive attitude change. Study one focuses on the creation and validation of a representativeness scale built on previous research on typicality and interpersonal contact. Study two explores the factors that influence participants’ responses on the representativeness scale, including realism (of the mediated narrative), extent of prior contact with outgroup members, motivations to control prejudice, self efficacy, and attitudes toward outgroup members. Study three focuses on the relationship between representativeness and stereotypicality. Finally, study four involves an additional experiment to explore the effects of character representativeness on attitude change. Results show that the RMCS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring character representativeness. It is flexible enough to account for differences due to the style of the media portrayal and the previous life experience of the audience members. The results from study 3 suggest that representativeness (as measured by the RMCS) is unique from stereotypicality in many instances. In study 4, the results showed that the extent to which audience members believed that characters were representative of their group mediated the effects of media exposure on attitudes toward the outgroup. The more representative a character was, the more attitudes toward that character’s group were improved.
Daniel McDonald, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Osei Appiah, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
David Ewoldsen, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Emily Moyer-Guse, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
162 p.
Communication
Mediated intergroup contact; representativeness; contact hypothesis; intergroup contact; stereotypes; typicality; characters

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dale, K. R. (2015). Measuring Representativeness: The Creation and Testing of the Representativeness of Mediated Characters Scale (RMCS) [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1433851819

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dale, Katherine. Measuring Representativeness: The Creation and Testing of the Representativeness of Mediated Characters Scale (RMCS). 2015. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1433851819.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dale, Katherine. "Measuring Representativeness: The Creation and Testing of the Representativeness of Mediated Characters Scale (RMCS)." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1433851819

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1433851819
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.