It Costs a Lot to Look This Cheap: Preference for Low-Quality Graphic Design

Some 1,000 surveys were conducted on Amazon's MTurk, asking respondents to rate a high- and low-quality visual design, in this case a billboard ad. While most respondents preferred the high-quality ad, over a third opted for the low-quality design. Respondents who showed a preference for the low-quality design liked it for its “static” qualities, in that it was common, typical, average, and standard. Those who preferred the high-quality design liked it for its “dynamic” qualities, such that it was innovative, fascinating, novel, creative, and rich in elements. Older participants show a significant preference for the low-quality design. Implications of these findings for different types of visual communication are discussed.     

Cohesion in children's discourse: Assessment of cognitive development

This study examines the cohesive ties that children and adults use when offering verbal explanations to resolve incongruent discourse information. Age‐related changes in the participants' use of adversatives and causal connectives were observed. The results also revealed that preschoolers were less likely than the older children to use personal referents and demonstratives. Although fewer preschoolers than subjects at the older grade levels used ellipses, by first grade children were using this device to connect discourse information. Unexpectedly, the children's use of additives and temporal connectives did not decrease with age. The findings are discussed in terms of children's ability to retain information in working memory and to perform the necessary integrative processes. The connectives children use to link contiguous sentences reflect their reasoning about how story events go together.     

Women Broadcasters of World War II

By the time World War I1 began, women regularly participated in radio broadcasting, either as entertainers or in the behind the scenes creation of radio programming. Few women owned stations or participated in network management. Newscasts featured dulcet toned, deep, male voices. In short, the serious business of radio was for men: Women were "okay" as long as they stuck to their own domain- cooking shows, homemaker tips, those sorts of things. Through an exhaustive literature review coupled with critical analysis of primary source documentation, this paper examines women who had a profound impact on broadcasting during World War I1 and beyond. Collectively, they created a programming concept that would turn out to be one of the most well liked types of programs during the war.     

Reading as a lifeline among aging readers: Findings from a qualitative interview study with older adults

Older adults who identify as readers and choose to read for pleasure in their everyday lives are understudied despite the persistence and pervasiveness of this kind of reading. The phenomenology of reading and critical age studies inform this pilot project that uses in-depth interviews conducted with five readers who are between the ages of 75–90?years and who live in Canada. Data analysis followed principles of close reading and thematic analysis. Findings privilege the voices of the older readers and show how their experiences of reading can be analyzed using the metaphor of reading as a lifeline that, in turn, bridges with notions of resilience and embodied information practices. Reading for pleasure supports resilience and a reflective stance on life among older adults. The findings call for other researchers to engage more readily with older adults and will be of use to librarians and others who provide services, programs, and resources to older adult readers.     

In Search of the Older Audience: Adult Age Differences in Television Viewing

General Social Survey data were used to test the claims that (a) older adults watch more television than younger adults and (b) they do so because of poor health, retirement, and widowhood. Older adults did watch more television on average than other age groups. This effect was not explained by birth cohort or altered by time of measurement. However, the age effect was small (despite striking mean differences), because variability within the youngest and oldest groups was large. Overall, traditional explanations of older adults' viewing were largely unsupported. Demographic and social variables explained younger adults' viewing better than older adults'.     

The Players They are A-Changin': The Rise of Older MMO Gamers

To learn more about demographic characteristics, play behaviors, and motivations of massively multiplayer online gamers over the age of 50, researchers administered a questionnaire to 32,261 Wizard101 subscribers. Cross-referencing responses with behavioral data recorded by game servers, researchers found that older players were significantly more likely to be women. Older players played longer and underestimated their playtime, they were less likely to play on console and hand-held systems, and they were less likely to cite social, achievement, and player versus player combat motivations. However, older online gamers were more likely to cite self-growth and learning motivations for game play than those under 50.     

Parasocial Interaction With Liked,Neutral, and Disliked Characters on a Popular TV Series

In this study, 174 respondents completed an online questionnaire measuring their responses to a liked, neutral, or disliked character from the ABC drama Lost. Specifically, they reported their perceived similarity, identification while viewing, and parasocial interaction with the character, as well as the extent to which they had tried to change aspects of themselves to be more like the character (“change/influence”). Across the whole sample, perceived similarity was a significant positive predictor of both identification and parasocial interaction, and identification was associated with higher levels of parasocial interaction. Parasocial interaction, but not identification, was a significant positive predictor of reported change/influence. When the three types of characters were examined separately, all four responses were higher for liked and neutral characters than for disliked characters, and parasocial interaction was higher for liked than for neutral characters. Interpretations of the findings, and implications for understanding viewers' involvement with media characters, are discussed.     

Online Celebrity Bashing: Wrecking Ball or Good for You? Adolescent Girls’ Attitudes Toward the Media and Public Bashing of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez

Journalists and readers of celebrity news regularly bash celebrities online, a behavior that is easily accepted among adolescents. This study investigates whether these attitudes of acceptance differ according to the perpetrator of the bashing (media versus public) and the likeability of the involved celebrity (liked versus disliked). Using a vignette study, we examine adolescent girls’ attitudes toward media (journalists’) and public (readers’) bashing of a generally disliked celebrity (Miley Cyrus) and a generally liked celebrity (Selena Gomez). All participants read an identical negative news story (media bashing) and two related negative reader comments (public bashing). Participants were randomly assigned to read this information about either Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez. Results of a mixed-design ANOVA showed that the girls had less negative attitudes toward media bashing compared with public bashing. Moreover, they more easily accepted the bashing of a disliked celebrity than the bashing of a liked celebrity.     

Closing the loop: Students,academic libraries,and textbook affordability

This paper will summarize over 400 responses to a student questionnaire used to assess a textbook affordability program at Rutgers University. Students' responses showed that they were concerned about textbook costs, liked their open and affordable course content, and unanimously supported continuing the program. Because the Open and Affordable Textbooks program is administered through the Libraries, the survey also offers a glimpse at how textbook affordability interfaces with key library services, including collection development, teaching and learning, reserves and the visibility, use and discoverability of library resources. This article is intended to bring the conversation full circle and take steps toward defining an ecosystem of library services and activities that support textbook affordability and OER. The goal is to bring more visibility to OER programs and make sure they are integrated in foundational library operations, so that students recognize the libraries' investment in their academic success.     

Efficacy of the family viewing concept: A test of assumptions

This article examines two implicit assumptions on which the family viewing concept appears to be based: (1) children's viewing will subside after the end of the family viewing period, and children will be less likely to be exposed to later, more “mature” programming; (2) broadcasters can and do provide programs toward which children and parents share preferences and which are “appropriate” for the family viewing period (6:00‐8:00 p.m. CST, 7:00‐9:00 in other time zones).

Data gathered in a 1976 survey confirmed the first assumption. However, while the peak period of children's viewing occurred between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m., substantial numbers of the children continued to view television beyond the family viewing period. Less consistent support was found for the second assumption. Above‐average percentages of both parents and children considered thirty‐one of sixty‐eight programs listed on the questionnaires to be “favorites” or “all right,” and nineteen of the thirty‐one were broadcast during the family viewing period. While parents and children may share attitudes toward certain programs, however, it does not necessarily follow that parents consider those programs appropriate for their children. The results of the survey suggest the need for further study of what constitutes “appropriate” programming for family viewing.     

Age-Based Ratings,Content Designations,and Television Content: Is There a Problem?

An analysis of 9 week-long samples of prime-time network programming broadcast between the fall of 1997 and the fall of 2003 found that more than 8 out of 10 programs were labeled with an age-based rating (TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, or TV-MA), whereas fewer than 4 in 10 programs were also labeled with content-based ratings (V, S, L, or D). Although programs with age- and content-based ratings accurately reflected sexual and violent content, a sizable number of programs without content-based ratings also had sexual and violent content. Ratings provide parents with incomplete information on which to base viewing decisions.     

导航结构与认知负荷对老年读者数字图书馆用户体验影响的实证研究——以国家数字图书馆为例

[目的/意义]通过分析数字图书馆导航结构与认知负荷对老年读者数字阅读情感体验和可用性的影响,提出设计优化建议。[方法/过程]针对国家数字图书馆常用功能,采用严格的控制实验法,邀请老年读者在认知负荷大或小两种条件下依次在不同导航结构中完成任务,分别验证导航结构和认知负荷对老年读者阅读体验的影响。[结果/结论]数字图书馆导航结构对老年读者的情感体验、感知的可用性和任务绩效均有显著影响,且认知负荷与导航结构具有交互作用,当两种条件共同作用时,会对读者的情感体验、数字图书馆的阅读绩效施加显著的影响。     

Age and Third-Person Perception in Response to Positive Product Advertisements

The research presented here examined the occurrence of the third-person perception (TPP) among children compared with older people. Unlike in previous research, the TPP was examined in response to positive product advertisements. These advertisements are considered negative only when people understand their persuasive intent and manipulative nature. In that context, there was no indication of the TPP in children, whereas adolescents and adults showed the usual effect. The research further documented the existence of an intuitive understanding of media influence on various age groups. For example, adults perceived themselves as less influenced by an adult-targeted ad than other adults but not less influenced than children and adolescents. The results are discussed in terms of self-serving bias, understanding of persuasion intent, and the intuitive understanding of media influence.     

Online library catalog search performance by older adult users

Previous information retrieval research has neglected examination of older adults' search behavior. The present study examined the online search performance and associated errors of 54 older adult users of a representative online library catalog system. Participants' error data were examined in the framework of Borgman's three layers of knowledge needed to perform online library catalog searching: (1) conceptual knowledge, (2) semantic knowledge, and (3) technical skills in executing the query. The results of older adults were consistent with findings of previous online library catalog studies with younger adults. Older adults experienced serious problems at all three knowledge layers but experienced their most severe difficulties with conceptual knowledge of how to search the online library catalog system (e.g., formulating queries, understanding and using keyword and Boolean searching, and understanding the contents of databases). The significance of these findings for older adults' use of online library catalogs will be discussed.     

Pre- and Postinteraction Physical Attractiveness Ratings and Experience-Based Impressions

This study examines the perceptions of an interaction partner’s physical attractiveness and traits in relation to whether and how partners were evaluated prior to interacting. Sixty-five pairs of heterosexual strangers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., prerate photos of opposite-sex strangers including conversation partner, prerate photos excluding partner, no prerate photos). Participants then had a 10-minute interaction, reported impressions of partner, and rated photos again including the partner. Compared to no preinteraction rating, rating conversation partners’ attractiveness reduced impressions of partners’ social attractiveness, fun/funniness, and charisma. Partner impressions were more strongly associated with postinteraction attractiveness ratings than preinteraction ratings. Impressions of social attractiveness and fun/funniness moderated attractiveness rating change, wherein less attractive partners showed more positive change than attractive partners.     

New I & R Teams in Library-Based Services:

This article presents a new library-based model for I & R called SENIOR CONNECTIONS which is operated by older volunteers and student interns from Schools of Library Science and Social Work with the guidance of library-staff I & R Coordinators. This I & R model combines professional informational skills (librarian) and human relations skills (social worker) plus the rich resources and capabilities of older volunteers. Students and volunteers participate in the I & R training program which is conducted jointly by faculty from both professional schools to develop a cadre of skilled volunteers and professionals. Serving as both an information center and helping service, SENIOR CONNECTIONS is targeted to promoting local access to information and resources for older residents. By utilizing the existing library staff, interns and volunteers, SENIOR CONNECTIONS operates as a service-effective and cost-efficient program.     

A Matter of Focus: Reference Services for Older Adults

Older adults comprise a diverse clientele who require opportunities for lifelong learning and leisure. Reference librarians can adapt existing services to serve the majority of patrons over the age of fifty. Patience, sensitivity, and flexibility are essential to effective interviewing. Information about issues of concern to older adults, including family relationships, health, death and dying, housing, legal and financial affairs, and leisure activities, can be gathered from selected, readily available sources. Reader's advisory services, programming, and outreach activities should be focused to more effectively target older adult users. Adhering to common service philosophy based on lifelong learning and a commitment to provide equal service to all individuals will facilitate tailoring services to meet the needs of the older adult patron.     

Beliefs About Intergenerational Communication Across the Lifespan: Middle Age and the Roles of Age Stereotyping and Respect Norms

Guided by theoretical models, this research examines (for the first time within the same design) young American adults' reports of age stereotypes, norms of respect, beliefs about intra‐ and intergenerational communication, and communication satisfaction toward young adult, middle‐aged, and older adult targets. Multivariate analyses showed that as age of target increased so did trait attributions of benevolence, norms of politeness and deference, and communicative respect and satisfaction; however, attributions of personal vitality decreased linearly. Path analyses revealed that the more young adults stereotyped older adults as benevolent and personally vital, the less likely they were to report avoiding communication with them. Deference norms also positively related to the degree of communicative respect afforded older adults and the more respondents reported avoiding communication with them, the less satisfied they were with their intergenerational conversations.