Of Sad Men and Dark Comedies: Mood and Gender Effects on Entertainment Media Preferences

Although traditional mood management theory suggests we use media to deflect sad moods and maintain good moods, various research findings reflect a more complex picture. The present study took a mixed-method, nuanced approach to basic mood management questions and investigated both open and close-ended media preferences among college students (N = 157) immediately following a positive or negative mood induction. Results show that sad (vs. happy) participants showed a preference for viewing a dark comedy or a social drama, whereas happy (vs. sad) participants showed a preference for viewing a slapstick comedy or an action adventure. Women (vs. men) showed an increased preference for romantic genres regardless of mood, whereas men showed a preference for action, suspense, and dark comedy genres. An interaction between gender and mood also emerged; sad men in particular showed a preference for dark comedies. Results are discussed in light of the emotional gratifications that mood-reflecting media may afford men and women.     

Experiential knowledge of expert coaches can help identify informational constraints on performance of dynamic interceptive actions

Abstract

Coordination of dynamic interceptive movements is predicated on cyclical relations between an individual’s actions and information sources from the performance environment. To identify dynamic informational constraints, which are interwoven with individual and task constraints, coaches’ experiential knowledge provides a complementary source to support empirical understanding of performance in sport. In this study, 15 expert coaches from 3 sports (track and field, gymnastics and cricket) participated in a semi-structured interview process to identify potential informational constraints which they perceived to regulate action during run-up performance. Expert coaches’ experiential knowledge revealed multiple information sources which may constrain performance adaptations in such locomotor pointing tasks. In addition to the locomotor pointing target, coaches’ knowledge highlighted two other key informational constraints: vertical reference points located near the locomotor pointing target and a check mark located prior to the locomotor pointing target. This study highlights opportunities for broadening the understanding of perception and action coupling processes, and the identified information sources warrant further empirical investigation as potential constraints on athletic performance. Integration of experiential knowledge of expert coaches with theoretically driven empirical knowledge represents a promising avenue to drive future applied science research and pedagogical practice.     

Who says you need to teach reading to 11–13-year-olds?

Research indicates that as students move through the school system, many begin to experience difficulties with reading. With this mind, this study explored current practices and perceptions about reading programmes for 11–13-year-old students in New Zealand schools. The study employed an online survey designed to investigate current reading literacy practices in a sample of New Zealand primary in years 7 and 8. Observations of practice and interviews with literacy leaders, teachers, principals and students were also carried out at five case study schools. The survey indicated that teachers may underestimate the importance of learner engagement and direct teaching strategies. The case studies exemplify the need for good professional development, supportive leadership, effective class management strategies, a positive and engaging learning environment, teachers with a passion for literacy and exemplary and sustained guided reading.     

Invalidated identities: The disconfirming effects of racial microaggressions on Black doctoral students in STEM

Black students face repeated racial microaggressions that may challenge their mental health and academic performance in engineering doctoral programs. Researchers attribute this to stereotypes and institutional climates that juxtapose their STEM and racial identities as incongruent. In this article, we analyzed the perceptions of environmental, behavioral, and verbal racial microaggressions of 33 Black doctoral students and postdocs, with a focus on their interactions with non-Black peers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Black doctoral students from 11 Predominantly White Institutions in the United States. To analyze the experiences of our participants, we utilized two theoretical frameworks: Racial microaggressions and identity nonverification. Across the interviews, participants described various forms of racial microaggressions that greatly challenged their sense of belonging and identities as engineers. This research affirms the need to develop initiatives at the departmental and institutional levels to encourage more inclusive spaces for diverse students in STEM doctoral programs and to combat the types of exclusionary practices found in this study.     

The impact of a prejudice-prevention television program on young children’s ideas about race

Two studies investigated whether children’s television programs that were produced to decrease racial prejudice had the intended positive effect on young children. Study 1 measured 60 White 5- and 6-year-old children’s attitudes toward Asian, Black, and White stimuli prior to, and immediately following, a brief, one-time anti-prejudice television program. No significant change was observed. Study 2 assessed the attitudes of 30 White 3–6-year-old children toward Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White stimuli at the beginning and end of a 3-week intervention period. During the intervention period children watched a pro-diversity television program four times. Plot and anti-prejudice message comprehension was assessed at three time-points during the testing period. Participants improved on plot and message comprehension over time, but no change in ideas about race was evidenced (children indicated a strong pro-White bias at both pre- and post-test). Possible reasons for, and implications of, this lack of change are discussed.     

COMS Day as a communication senior capstone team project

Courses: Senior Seminar

Objectives: (1) To provide graduating students a semester-long capstone experience where they can apply communication theories/skills in a professional context. (2) To create a capstone project that contributes to programmatic assessment.     

快乐琴声

我对音乐一无所知,根本谈不上酷爱音乐。但当我的女儿们出生后,我和我的丈夫决定培养她们的音乐天赋。于是无论是吃饭还是呆在车上,我们都放这些古典音乐来听,甚至音乐还陪伴我们阅读。     

Golden Handcuffs in the Fortune 1000? An Employee-Organization Relationship Survey of Public Relations Executives and Practitioners in the Largest Companies

This study delivered an employee-organization relationship survey to public relations executives and practitioners in Fortune 1000 companies. Almost two-thirds (64.3%) were the top-ranking public relations executives in their organizations, and most (79.2%) were paid $100,000 or more. Respondents had significantly higher scores on a majority (66.7%) of relationship outcome measures than did Millennials who worked for public relations agencies. The researcher found a statistically significant difference between salary categories at or above $100,000 and those below $100,000 on the combined dependent variables of trust, control mutuality, commitment, and satisfaction using a one-way between-groups multivariate analysis of variance: F(1, 50) = 4.586, p = .003; Wilks’ Lambda = .71; partial η² = .29. Results may be explained by age and workplace variables and/or the higher compensation and benefits embodied in the concept of the Golden Handcuffs. Results also suggest that relationship-type scales are not reliable.     

The Benefits and Trajectory of Digital Editing-Based Media Literacy Among Girls

The societal thin-ideal for women is damaging to the body image of both adults and children. Women representing this thin-ideal in the media are now digitally edited (airbrushed/Photoshopped), creating unachievable goals. A growing body of literature has proposed media literacy training and investigation to help combat the damage of these images on body image. This study assessed the knowledge and impact of digital editing in four female age groups (i.e., 3rd grade, 7th grade, 11th grade, and college students) collected in the U.S. state of Ohio. A within-subjects experimental design both extended previous work on media literacy by examining body image pre- and postexposure to edited images and investigated digital editing knowledge reflection as an intervention on body image harm. The current study also assessed the digital editing knowledge of all participants, creating an age trajectory. College-age emerging adults’ body image decreased after exposure to digitally edited images. However, this decline in body image was smaller when engaging in digital editing reflection. On average, younger participants did not show a decrease in body image after exposure. Results also indicated that girls begin to learn about digital editing around 12 to 13 years of age.