Study summary: Preexisting stereotypes and selection of counter-stereotypical genius representations in entertainment media

Entertainment media has more and more featured numerous representations which have the potential to fight dangerous social stereotypes, however a brand new University of Michigan examine raises questions on how efficient they are often within the present media panorama.

The examine, which seems within the Journal of Media Psychology, discovered that leisure media choice was predicted by preexisting beliefs in a survey of practically 300 individuals. Specifically, larger endorsement of gender-related stereotypes about intelligence was related to a decreased tendency to decide on TV exhibits that featured a superb lady (the counter-stereotypical representations) over exhibits that featured a superb man.

“Findings indicate that those who could benefit most from these representations are less likely to be exposed to them, undermining the utility of mass media in the widespread reduction of harmful stereotypes,” stated examine lead writer Matea Mustafaj, a graduate scholar within the U-M Department of Communication & Media.

Across 4 genres (science fiction, crime fiction, drama, comedy), Mustafaj and colleagues created a number of TV present descriptions-half that includes an exceptionally clever (or “brilliant”) character, the opposite half that includes a personality that was not exceptionally clever. Sets of 4 present descriptions, all belonging to the identical style, had been offered to individuals. The descriptions featured both all sensible or all nonbrilliant protagonists, with an equal distribution of women and men characters.

The examine assessed the variety of occasions individuals chosen exhibits with ladies protagonists when all characters had been sensible whereas additionally controlling for the cases the place exhibits with ladies protagonists had been chosen amongst these that includes nonbrilliant characters. One week prior to creating their TV present alternatives, individuals’ intelligence-related gender stereotype endorsement was measured.

The examine’s outcomes revealed that the extra strongly a person associates intelligence with males than with ladies, the much less possible they’re to later select a TV present that contains a extremely smart lady over one which contains a extremely smart man. This relationship persists even when controlling for a basic choice for males or ladies characters.

The participant’s personal gender id didn’t have an effect on the connection between preexisting beliefs and the number of exhibits that includes extremely smart ladies. In addition, race was considerably related to the number of counter-stereotypical representations. White respondents, in comparison with respondents of different races, confirmed a decreased tendency to pick the counter-stereotypical illustration, based on the analysis.

These outcomes are important as a result of, with the development of media expertise, viewers can select from an limitless array of content material, Mustafaj stated. The present examine exhibits that the beliefs somebody already has (on this case, stereotypes about gender and intelligence) can result in the number of leisure content material that aligns with these beliefs.

If counter-stereotypical representations are largely reaching those that don’t endorse the stereotype within the first place, the stereotype is prone to persist on the cultural level-or, not less than, won’t be strongly influenced by a rise in counter-stereotypical media representations alone, Mustafaj stated.

Despite these findings, Mustafaj and U-M co-author Sonya Dal Cin are nonetheless optimistic concerning the potential of narratives to have a optimistic affect. They observe that given the complexity of narratives and the opposite components that go into choice, leisure media continues to be a promising route by means of which individuals could also be uncovered to experiences and concepts completely different from their very own.