Effects of Media Images on Attitudes Toward Tanning

Two experiments evaluated the effects of exposure to pictures of suntanned and untanned fashion models on attitudes regarding the importance of having a tan. In Experiment 1, 128 women were randomly assigned to view images of photographer's models that had been digitally altered to make it appear that the model either did or did not have a tan. Participants who viewed images of the models without a tan expressed significantly less positive attitudes toward tanning than did those who viewed the same models with a tan. In Experiment 2, 169 women were randomly assigned to view advertisements taken from fashion and beauty magazines that contained models who appeared to have suntanned skin, models who appeared not to have a tan, or no models at all. The results demonstrated that participants who viewed ads depicting models with untanned skin expressed less favorable attitudes toward tanning than did those who viewed control ads or those who viewed tan models. Given escalating skincancer rates, it is important to examine the role that media exposure may play in promoting risky behaviors.     

Pornography Consumption and Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: A National Longitudinal Study

This study utilized national panel data gathered in 2008 (T1) and 2010 (T2) to examine associations between Black and White U.S. adults' pornography consumption and homosexuality attitudes (indexed via moral judgments of homosexuality and attitudes toward same‐sex marriage). Pornography consumption at T1 predicted interindividual change in attitudes toward more acceptance of homosexuality at T2 for moral individualists, Whites, and men. Women expressed more positive homosexuality attitudes than men, but their attitudes did not vary with exposure to pornography. Homosexuality attitudes at T1 did not predict interindividual change in the probability of pornography consumption at T2. Results were parallel when moral judgments of homosexuality and attitudes toward same‐sex marriage were analyzed separately or were combined into a composite index.     

Implicit Attitudes Toward Arab-Muslims and the Moderating Effects of Social Information

Three studies examined the relative valence and strength of implicit attitudes toward Arab-Muslims using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) while exploring the moderation of such implicit effects. Studies have suggested that repeated exposure to information associating members of a social group (e.g., Arab-Muslims) with evaluative attributes (e.g., terrorism) might create automatic attitudes toward them. Consistent with this notion, the IAT results indicated strong implicit preference for White over Arab-Muslim, whereas the magnitude of such a bias was substantially diminished when assessed by explicit measures (Study 1). It is also interesting to note that participants exhibited implicit preference for Black over Arab-Muslim when measured by the IAT, whereas no difference was found between the 2 groups in stimulus familiarity and in explicit attitudes (Studies 2 and 3). However, such implicit effects were moderated when participants were exposed to positive information about Arab-Muslims (Study 3). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are further discussed.     

The Effects of Risk-Promoting Media on Inclinations Toward Risk Taking

Three experiments examined whether exposure to risk-promoting media increases risk-related thoughts and behavioral inclinations. Participants were exposed to risk-promoting pictures (Study 1), movies (Study 2), and video games (Study 3) or a risk neutral control condition. Subsequently to exposure, accessibility of risk-taking cognitions and participants' inclinations to act in a risk-seeking manner was measured. In line with our expectations, all three studies revealed that risk-promoting media content increases the accessibility of risk-taking cognitions (Studies 1 and 3), risk taking in a computer-based driving simulator (Study 2), as well as risk taking in decision making scenarios (Study 3). Mediational analyses clarified the underlying psychological process: Risk-promoting media content increases the accessibility of risk-promoting cognitions, which in turn results in increased risk-taking inclinations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Effects of Exposure to Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Smoking1

One hundred seventy-eight adolescents viewed a magazine that either contained or did not contain 4 cigarette advertisements. Adolescents who have tried smoking reported more positive attitudes toward smoking. Of the adolescents who have tried smoking, those in the cigarette-advertisement-present condition expressed more positive attitudes toward smoking than did those in the cigarette-advertisement-absent condition. Consistent with the prediction that adolescents who have tried (vs. never tried) smoking would attend more to cigarette advertisements, adolescents in the cigarette-advertisement-present condition who have tried (vs. never tried) smoking correctly recognized more cigarette advertisements. Taken together, these results suggest that adolescents who have tried smoking are attending to cigarette advertisements and are impacted by cigarette advertisements; specifically, cigarette advertisements bolster these adolescents' attitudes toward smoking.     

Influences on Clergy Attitudes Toward Aging

ABSTRACT

The attitudes of 289 clergy from three major denominations were measured using Kogan's Attitudes Toward Aging Scale. The scores reflected generally more positive attitudes than those of other reference groups. Significant relationships were found between attitudes toward aging and each of two variables: gerontological knowledge and denominational affiliation. Qualitative analysis of respondent comments provides evidence that attitudes toward aging are substantially influenced by the quality of contact with older persons.     

Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Programs in Australia: Effects of Beliefs,Interests, and Attitudes Toward Women

This research identified mediators explaining the relationship between gender and attitudes toward affirmative action programs for women. Structural equation modeling was conducted on survey data obtained from academics at an Australian university (n = 198 with listwise deletion of missing data). Findings indicated that the relationship between gender and affirmative action attitudes was mediated by (1) perceptions of affirmative action's impact on material self-interest, (2) belief in the existence of gender discrimination, and (3) traditional attitudes toward women. Implications for organizations, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.     

We're Here,We're Queer,We're on TV: The Effects of Visual Media on Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians1

Effects of visual media on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians were investigated by exposing 3 groups of participants to a brief video. The first group viewed an anti‐gay video. the second group viewed a pro‐gay video, and a comparison group viewed a neutral video. Participants attitudes were measured immediately following the video after seeing the video, participants were contacted by telephone. and their attitudes were again assessed. Participants were not aware of the connection between the follow‐up assessment and the initial video exposure. At follow‐up. participants attitudes were significantly different. with attitudes with the pro‐gay video group being most positive, and those in the anti‐gay video group being most negative.     

Effects of Contact on Children's Attitudes Toward Disability: A Longitudinal Study1

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on temporal effects of intergroup contact on nondisabled (ND) children's attitudes toward disability. Children from a mainstream primary school were involved in an integration program with children from a school for children with severe learning disabilities (SLD). ³ 3 Severe learning disabilities (SLD) is the term currently used in the U.K. to describe people who might formally have been described as having “severe mental handicap” or “severe retardation.” This term is interchangeable with “severe learning disabilities.”
Measures were administered 3 times over a period of 3 months to 26 integrating (experimental) and 24 nonintegrating (control) children. Social orientations in the experimental group became significantly more positive over time, while the control group showed little change. The experimental and control children initially categorized on the basis of gender and disability; subsequently the strategies of the experimental children were more idiosyncratic while the control children still used the same two dimensions.     

Prevalence of Rape Myths in Headlines and Their Effects on Attitudes Toward Rape

The present research investigated the prevalence and effects of rape myths in newspaper headlines. In study 1, a content analysis of online news headlines from US media (N?=?555) surrounding the 2003–2004 Kobe Bryant sexual assault case showed that 10% endorsed a rape myth. In study 2, students at a mid-sized university in the mid-western USA (N?=?154) read headlines endorsing or not endorsing rape myths. Male participants exposed to myth-endorsing headlines were (a) less likely to think Bryant was guilty than those exposed to non-myth headlines, (b) more likely to hold rape-supportive attitudes than those exposed to non-myth headlines, and (c) more likely to hold rape-supportive attitudes than were female participants exposed to myth-endorsing headlines.     

Posture and Prediction on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale

A study was performed investigating the relationship between stated attitudes toward the feminist movement and willingness to help that movement. Results suggested that Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS) measures of feminist commitment may be limited by a social desirability variable and that high scores on the AWS do not correlate with a behavioral measure of commitment.     

Effects of a Workshop on Mental Health Practitioners' Attitudes Toward Homosexuality and Counseling Effectiveness

The effects of a training workshop on mental health practitioners' attitudes toward homosexuality and counseling behavior were compared with the effects of no intervention. Treated subjects (n = 21) were enrolled in a 3-day multimodal workshop about gay/lesbian counseling, and no-treatment comparison subjects (n = 31) were enrolled in other counselor education coursework. Before and after the workshop, subjects completed homosexuality attitude questionnaires and a quasibehavioral gay/lesbian counseling effectiveness measure. Treated subjects improved significantly more than comparison subjects on all measures, and the gains remained in evidence at an 8-week follow-up. The multimodal training workshop thus appears encouraging as a possible means of instilling needed attitudes and skills in counselors of gay and lesbian clients.     

Social Desirability and Attitudes Toward the Disabled

This study explored the influence of social desirability (SD) on responses of non-handicapped persons to three attitude-toward-disability scales under conditions that varied the personally evaluative nature of the testing situation. The design of the study was based on an adaptation-level model. 280 undergraduates were divided into 3 experimental groups. All were administered the SD scale. Each group was then exposed to one of 3 sets of instructions that varied the emphasis on personal evaluation. Subjects were then administered 3 attitude-toward-disability scales that differed in degree of test structure. Results indicate that those who had high SD needs responded with significantly more positive attitudes toward the disabled on each of the attitude scales. Variations in test instructions were effective in modifying responses of high SD subjects on two of the scales.     

Predictors of Teens' Attitudes Toward Condoms: Gender Differences in the Effects of Norms

Using data collected from a telephone survey of adolescents aged 15 to 19, we studied predictors of condom attitudes. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 348 sexually active teens. Multiple regression revealed that holding other variables constant being females, African American, perceiving that more of their friends were using condoms (i. e., perceived normative behavior). and stronger perceived normative pressure were significantly associated with favorable condom attitudes. Furthermore, significant interaction effects pointed to gender differences in the association between two types of norms and attitudes toward condoms. Perceived normative behavior had a greater effect on the attitudes of female adolescents. Perceived normative pressure had a greater effect on the attitudes of male adolescents.     

Campus Police Cooperation and Legitimacy: Extending the Procedural Justice Model

This paper extends the procedural justice model to campus policing, examining both the antecedents of legitimacy as well as the relative influence of student legitimacy evaluations on their likelihood of reporting campus crimes to the public safety department. A simple random sample of 31 undergraduate sections (n = 554) responded to a paper survey instrument. Undergraduate respondents indicate general procedural justice ratings are significantly related to their evaluations of campus police (CP) legitimacy. In turn, legitimacy ratings are significantly related to reporting likelihood. However, evaluations of the effectiveness of the CP have a stronger relationship with legitimacy than procedural justice.     

Reliability of the Children's Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale

The Children's Attitudes toward the Environment Scale, developed by Musser and Malkus (1994), gave Cronbach alpha .73 and .83 at pretest and 3-wk. later for 274 children and a test-retest r of only .47. While Cronbach alpha was similar to the value reported by the test developers, it is close to the low end of acceptability.     

Genetic Enhancement and Moral Attitudes Toward the Given

Several authors, including Michael Sandel, distinguish between two different attitudes toward nature: mastery and giftedness. Giftedness is the superior attitude, Sandel argues, because it better accords with the values of humility, responsibility, and solidarity. And giftedness, in combination with these values, provides a rational basis for opposing the employment of genetic enhancement. Against this, I argue that talents and genetic endowment are more plausibly viewed as undeserved, that not everything undeserved is a gift, and that even if talents and endowment were gifts, this would not support a prohibition against pursuing genetic enhancement.     

Perceived Government Actions and Attitudes Toward the Needy

Potential negative effects of welfare agencies on attitudes toward the needy were examined in the context of a communications study. After listening to a bogus newscast describing one of four levels of government involvement and one of two levels of need, 120 undergraduate women indicated their perceptions of the degree of need and their perceptions of the extent of citizens’ responsibility for helping to meet this need. Results showed that government failure to provide proposed assistance resulted in Ss perceiving the need to be less severe. Ss’ perceptions of citizens’ responsibility were lowered when the government either withdrew existing support or failed to provide proposed aid. Government involvement, existing or withdrawn, attenuated the effect of the manipulation of need.     

Effects of Undergoing Arbitrary Discrimination Upon Subsequent Attitudes Toward a Minority Group1

The purpose of the experiment was to test the hypothesis that having been both the object of prejudice and discrimination and the discriminator, a child will be less likely to hold prejudiced beliefs and exhibit discriminatory behavior toward a minority group. A 3rd-grade class was randomly divided into Orange and Green people. On Day I, Orange children were “superior” and Green children were “inferior”. On Day II, statuses were rcvcrsed. On Day III and again 2 weeks later, the experimental class was significantly more likely to desire a picnic with a group of Black children and held less-prejudiced beliefs when compared to the Control. The manipulation did not affect performance on Days I and II.     

Attitudes Toward Interracial Dating: Effects of Age,Sex, and Race

Attitudes toward interracial dating were investigated by surveying 400 individuals from an integrated community. As predicted, men were more positive than women, the young were more positive than the old, and Caucasian Americans were somewhat more positive than African Americans in their attitudes.