Psych 1

Front 1

Three general mechanisms by which TV may affect nutritional health

Back 1

1) direct psychological influences
- persuasive ads for junk food,
- modeling of characters’ eating habits,
- cultivation of health beliefs;
2) TV watching displaces physical activity;
3) TV lowers metabolic rate (not supported).

Front 2

Typical viewer sees 5000 food ads/year.

Back 2

A concern is that children are indoctrinated by junk food ads long before they receive prevailing cultural knowledge about healthfulness of food.

Front 3

Kaufman, 1970s content study of eating by characters in programs

Back 3

about 39% was snacking;
- about 42% meals (but rarely the focus);
- only about 6% of male TV characters are obese, 2% of female characters (actual current rate in US about 50%).

Front 4

Several studies find correlations between hours of TV viewed by children and:

Back 4

requests for high fat/high sugar snacks;
frequency of snacking during viewing;
total caloric intake;
poor nutrition knowledge

Front 5

Signorielli 1998 survey of 4th & 5th graders:
found correlation between # TV hrs/week &

Back 5

preferences for poor nutritional foods, measured by choices, e.g., “would you rather eat a Big Mac, or grilled chicken sandwich?” (positive correlation);
knowledge about healthfulness of food, e.g., “which is healthier, Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes?” (negative correlation).

Front 6

Williams’s Canadian study on introduction of TV to “Notel”:

Back 6

introduction of TV was associated with a decrease participation in community sports in that town;
- could indicate increase in sedentary lifestyle due to TV viewing, i.e, less physical activity.

Front 7

Facial attractiveness: Contrast effects

Back 7

The majority of persons appearing in commercial TV programs and movies are professionals chosen, in part, for their above-average looks.

Front 8

Kenrick & Gutierrez, 1980. Contrast effects in judging physical attractiveness

Back 8

Examined whether prior exposure to extreme beauty (in media) affected persons’ judgments about average-attractive faces (in real life).

Front 9

Content studies have shown that the vast majority of females in TV, movies, & magazines are thinner than average US woman.

Back 9

Study of Playboy centerfolds and Miss Americas found they weighed 13-19% less than US women of same age and height; content studies of actresses find similar patterns.

Front 10

15% under normal body weight defines

Back 10

eating disorder.

Front 11

ubiquitous thin females in media create

Back 11

an impossible body standard that many viewers believe is the desired norm.

Front 12

Studies of media effects on body satisfaction (nearly all w/female Ss):
This body of research has yielded mixed findings;

Back 12

Some find that exposure to media images (TV, movies, or print) lowers viewers’ body satisfaction (or related reactions), while some fail to find effects;

Front 13

A methodologically-sound study: Dittmar & Howard 2004, Effects of print images..
Ss: adult professional women 20-60 yrs, mean 32 yrs.

Back 13

Measured:
1) body anxiety (main outcome measure);
2) social comparison tendency (towards media figures);
3) thin-ideal internalization (adoption of media standard).

Front 14

Results

Back 14

Exposure to the thin model increased body anxiety overall, especially for those scoring high on thin-ideal internalization.
Exposure to the “stretched” model actually reduced body anxiety to a small degree.
Illustrates important personality moderators of media effects on body satisfaction.

Front 15

Media images probably have broad effects on appearance-related self-esteem; is likely a long-term process, with many important mediating variables such as

Back 15

thin-ideal internalization,
belief in realism of TV (Potter),
personal “boundaries” in social comparison processes (i.e., would you ever compare yourself to actors or not?),
existing self-esteem & “ego strength.”