Matching Items (3)
Filtering by
- Creators: Hall, Deborah
- Creators: Computer Science and Engineering Program
Description
To reveal opinions people may not explicitly portray, researchers have implemented a methodology called the Implicit Associations Test (IAT). While this test saw widespread use after its inception, recent problems have undermined the reliability of the measure. Researchers have begun to address these limitations by evaluating different approaches, such as the Action Dynamics paradigm. Like the IAT, the aim of action dynamics is to assess underlying activation and competition amongst beliefs as they unfold in real-time, while adding a number of more sensitive measures, in addition to those used in an IAT. The trajectories of participants’ computer mouse cursors are tracked as they move from a stimulus statement to a response, providing data of the real-time decisions people are making across a number of variables. For this thesis study, the aim was to use an action dynamics paradigm to explore whether implicit biases exist toward transgender people from a larger cisgender population, even if they explicitly support or oppose others with transgender identities. These potential biases were assessed by evaluating the statements people were asked to confirm or disconfirm. There were also a number of analyses conducted in order to investigate whether such predictors such as
participants’ gender or political ideology predicted differences in responses. Although differences were seen in the reaction time to statements of a certain category, the other trajectory measures showed that participants’ implicit and explicit attitudes toward transgender people were aligned. Implications, limitations, and future directions of this
work are then discussed.
ContributorsHamlett, Mara Carol (Author) / Duran, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Mickelson, Kristin (Committee member) / Hall, Deborah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Sexual minorities use social media platforms at higher rates than heterosexual individuals, often to find and connect with other sexual minorities and the broader online LGBTQ+ community. These online connections may help normalize feelings and experiences as a sexual minority in a heterosexual-normed society by increasing exposure to more meaningful reference groups and helping to mitigate the negative impact of heterosexist norms. There has been relatively little research investigating online social connectedness (OSC) among sexual minority adults, the relation between OSC and positive psychological outcomes, and the role of OSC in lessening the impact of heterosexist norms. The goal of the present thesis was to examine the relation between OSC and positive psychological outcomes, and whether such a relation is mediated by compulsory heterosexuality (CH; i.e., heterosexist norms) and internalized heterosexism (IH; i.e., internalizing and accepting heterosexist norms). A sample of 298 sexual minority adults in the U.S. completed an online survey that included measures of OSC, CH, IH, and positive psychological outcomes including resilience, well-being, self-acceptance, and self-esteem. The hypothesized model, with CH and IH as serial mediators of the relation between OSC and positive psychological outcomes, along with a series of alternative models, were tested using structural equation modeling. Support was found for the hypothesized model, such that greater OSC predicted lower CH, which then predicted lower IH, which in turn predicted greater positive psychological outcomes. While several alternative models had adequate fit, the hypothesized model was best supported statistically and by previous literature. These findings provide insights into the psychological benefits of social media connections for sexual minorities and the potential for OSC to lessen the impact of heterosexist norms. This study also adds to the existing literature regarding OSC and sexual minority adults, expanding the literature from primarily focusing on sexual minority youth. Future studies should be more socio-demographically diverse and longitudinal in nature in order to help better understand the directionality of the relationship between CH and IH. The present findings may also inform the development of interventions aimed at decreasing CH and IH, which future studies should investigate more fully.
ContributorsBaumel, Katie (Author) / Hall, Deborah (Thesis advisor) / Mickelson, Kristin (Committee member) / Salerno, Jessica (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This article offers an in-depth analysis of the frequency and quality of LGBTQ+ representation in fictional podcasts. Specifically, I examine how frequently and with what intent LGBTQ+ characters are included in fictional podcast series. Though scholars have studied LGBTQ+ representation in different media, there has been almost no research on representation in fictional podcast series. However, as observed in other studies, cable and network television, streaming, and even blockbuster cinema have been slowly increasing in LGBTQ+ diversity (Stokes 2019, Cook 2018). Nevertheless, LGBTQ+ media consumers, especially LGBTQ+ youth, still find themselves underrepresented and look to other sources for validation of their identities (Stokes 2019). We might expect that many LGBTQ+ people may look to fictional podcasts as a possible source of quality representation, especially because podcasts are small-scale and heavily rely on the funding, and thus the opinion, of listeners (Bottomley, 2015). This is a case study in which four fictional podcast series are analyzed for LGBTQ+ inclusivity by first taking into account how many, and in what proportion, LGBTQ+ characters are included in the selected podcasts. The quality of their representation was then evaluated by a number of factors, including diversity, depth, and the frequency and type of stereotypical LGBTQ+ tropes. My findings show a higher frequency of LGBTQ+ characters than in more mainstream media. Further, the studied fictional podcasts series featured LGBTQ+ characters with diverse personalities and backgrounds, LGBTQ+ trope subversions, opportunities to express their sexual and/or gender identities, and long story arcs that do not end in their misfortune. Therefore, we see that fictional podcasts, as a medium that sustains itself primarily on listeners’ patronage, trend towards presenting stories that their audience can relate to (Bottomley, 2015). As a result, fictional podcasts tend to create more niche stories with the intention of making a connection with a smaller demographic of media consumers.
ContributorsFerreyra, Emilia (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Phd (Thesis director) / Chadha, Phd (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12