加载中…
This is the abstract of my dissertation research project, completed
in November. I welcome your comments.
The Impact of Media on Core Beliefs: The Predisposition of Americans Toward Conflict with China Before and After the 2008 Beijing Olympics
We are entering an era of increasing globalization. Countries are connected, cultures are colliding, and rules are changing faster than people can adapt. China has emerged, looming large on the horizon, as a visible challenge to the dominant political and economic position that the United States had held for a half-century. Media technologies play a large role in people’s understanding of this process through the selective distribution of information; media sources vary in the way they emphasize, package and transmit content and this influences the meaning to the receiver.
We rely on the information in the environment to construct the core beliefs that define our view of the world and of ourselves. Although information is supplied by multiple sources, if we rely on one source of information more than others, that source should influence our core beliefs more than others should. Core beliefs are central to the development of individual and group behaviors. Scholars have identified several core beliefs—vulnerability, superiority, distrust, injustice, and helplessness— that function at both the individual and group level as predictors of conflict.
The purpose of this dissertation to address a gap in the literature on belief formation and conflict by looking at the impact of an individual’s preferred sources of information on the individual’s set of core beliefs that predict conflict.
Online surveys were completed by 418 participants before and 478 participants after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Demographics approximated the U.S. Census for a population between 18 and 44 years of age with a high school education.
The results revealed that individual explanatory style and information sources were significantly correlated with core beliefs at the level of individual beliefs about their country as hypothesized. Regression results, however, were not consistent with the theoretical model. Media content, defined as conservative or liberal bias, proved to be a more consistent predictor for core beliefs than did media type. While there were changes in media usage from pre- to post-Olympic periods, there was no significant difference in core belief measurements.
Core beliefs of vulnerability, injustice and superiority at the group level and conservative political beliefs were significant predictors of group affiliation and enemy images. The constructs enemy image and group affiliation, in turn, emerged as consistent predictors for endorsement of aggressive conflict strategies.
A basic assumption in media effects research is that programming content drives an individual’s beliefs and behaviors. However, the consistency of correlational rather than causal relationships between media content, core beliefs, and conflict measures may be indicative of a self-reinforcing system where content and source choices function in other capacities, such as to validate identity, enhance group affiliation and tribal allegiance, and to restore cognitive consonance.
The significant escalation in measures of negative beliefs from personal to group levels may indicate the general level of discomfort in society. Individuals higher in fear
overestimate the amount of fear in peers as a means of normalizing
stigmatized behavior and augmenting their own subjective
well-being. Therefore, the increases from personal to group levels
may be reflective of individual projections of vulnerability.
In spite of China’s large investment of financial and human capital in the 2008 Olympics and mostly positive Western media coverage, most people’s opinions were unchanged by the information flows surrounding the Beijing Olympics. This suggests that reconfiguring a national identity is a more complex task than introducing new images and narratives over a two-week period.
National identity is a perception that is independent of the brand
that a given country hopes to promote. It is
important to identify the core items that construct a country's
beliefs in order to communicate more accurate and positive
information. Old stereotypes are hard to displace
and often result in inaccurate and unjust portrayals.
This study is a first step in integrating media sources into belief formation and conflict. It raises important issues about media choices and their function with identity, attribution, and the core beliefs that predispose individuals toward conflict. Additional research is underway to
dissect the components of national identity to promote a better
understanding between two great cultures: China and the United
States.
KEYWORDS: media impact on core beliefs, media impact on conflict, American perceptions of China, 2008 Olympics, country image, international
———
INFO:
Pamela B. Rutledge, PhD, MBA
Director, Media Psychology Research Center
Editor, Media Psychology Review
Profession: Media Psychologist; Adjunct Faculty at UCLA Extension and Fielding Graduate University Media and Social Change program
http://www.mprcenter.org
http://www.mediapsychologyreview.com
http://www.mediapsychologyblog.com
The Impact of Media on Core Beliefs: The Predisposition of Americans Toward Conflict with China Before and After the 2008 Beijing Olympics
We are entering an era of increasing globalization. Countries are connected, cultures are colliding, and rules are changing faster than people can adapt. China has emerged, looming large on the horizon, as a visible challenge to the dominant political and economic position that the United States had held for a half-century. Media technologies play a large role in people’s understanding of this process through the selective distribution of information; media sources vary in the way they emphasize, package and transmit content and this influences the meaning to the receiver.
We rely on the information in the environment to construct the core beliefs that define our view of the world and of ourselves. Although information is supplied by multiple sources, if we rely on one source of information more than others, that source should influence our core beliefs more than others should. Core beliefs are central to the development of individual and group behaviors. Scholars have identified several core beliefs—vulnerability, superiority, distrust, injustice, and helplessness— that function at both the individual and group level as predictors of conflict.
The purpose of this dissertation to address a gap in the literature on belief formation and conflict by looking at the impact of an individual’s preferred sources of information on the individual’s set of core beliefs that predict conflict.
Online surveys were completed by 418 participants before and 478 participants after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Demographics approximated the U.S. Census for a population between 18 and 44 years of age with a high school education.
The results revealed that individual explanatory style and information sources were significantly correlated with core beliefs at the level of individual beliefs about their country as hypothesized. Regression results, however, were not consistent with the theoretical model. Media content, defined as conservative or liberal bias, proved to be a more consistent predictor for core beliefs than did media type. While there were changes in media usage from pre- to post-Olympic periods, there was no significant difference in core belief measurements.
Core beliefs of vulnerability, injustice and superiority at the group level and conservative political beliefs were significant predictors of group affiliation and enemy images. The constructs enemy image and group affiliation, in turn, emerged as consistent predictors for endorsement of aggressive conflict strategies.
A basic assumption in media effects research is that programming content drives an individual’s beliefs and behaviors. However, the consistency of correlational rather than causal relationships between media content, core beliefs, and conflict measures may be indicative of a self-reinforcing system where content and source choices function in other capacities, such as to validate identity, enhance group affiliation and tribal allegiance, and to restore cognitive consonance.
The significant escalation in measures of negative beliefs from personal to group levels may indicate the general level of discomfort in society.
In spite of China’s large investment of financial and human capital in the 2008 Olympics and mostly positive Western media coverage, most people’s opinions were unchanged by the information flows surrounding the Beijing Olympics. This suggests that reconfiguring a national identity is a more complex task than introducing new images and narratives over a two-week period.
This study is a first step in integrating media sources into belief formation and conflict. It raises important issues about media choices and their function with identity, attribution, and the core beliefs that predispose individuals toward conflict.
KEYWORDS: media impact on core beliefs, media impact on conflict, American perceptions of China, 2008 Olympics, country image, international
———
INFO:
Pamela B. Rutledge, PhD, MBA
Director, Media Psychology Research Center
Editor, Media Psychology Review
Profession: Media Psychologist; Adjunct Faculty at UCLA Extension and Fielding Graduate University Media and Social Change program
http://www.mprcenter.org
http://www.mediapsychologyreview.com
http://www.mediapsychologyblog.com
顶