Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2018
This study expands on game character perspective-taking effects on political opinions while contr... more This study expands on game character perspective-taking effects on political opinions while controlling for players' social dominance orientation or inclination for inequality among social groups. Random assignment to play a game as an immigration inspector decreased intention, subjective norms, and self-efficacy to help immigrants relative to baseline scores. The scores of participants randomly assigned to play a game similar in style but instead featuring the role of a newspaper editor remained unchanged. Within-subjects effects implied that baseline reductions in intention, subjective norms, and self-efficacy to help immigrants were solely attributed to playing games as game immigration inspectors. The study provides initial evidence that taking on the perspective of game characters can influence players' opinions about political issues, such as immigration.
Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Caro... more Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Carolyn Cunningham, offers critical inquiry into how identity is constructed, deconstructed, performed, and perceived on social networking sites (SNSs), such as Facebook, and LinkedIn. The presentation of identity is key to success or failure in the Information Age, especially because SNSs are becoming the dominant form of communication among Internet users. The architecture of SNSs provide opportunities to ask questions such as who am I; what matters to me; and, how do I want others to perceive me? Original research studies in this collection utilize both quantitative and qualitative methods to study a range of issues related to identity management on SNSs including authenticity, professional uses of SNSs, LGBTQ identities, and psychological and cultural impacts. Together, the contributors to this volume draw on current research in the field and offer new theoretical frameworks and research methods to further the conversation on impression management and SNSs, making this text essential for both students and scholars of social media. --Publisher\u27s website
This study examined how exposure to pictures of women with different body sizes (thin, obese), ph... more This study examined how exposure to pictures of women with different body sizes (thin, obese), physical attractiveness levels (attractive, unattractive), along with exposure to weight-related messages (pro-anorexia, anti-anorexia) embedded in a fashion website affected female participants' planned behavior toward weight loss. Participants exposed to attractive model pictures showed higher intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms to lose weight compared with unattractive models. Additionally, participants exposed to thin and attractive model pictures indicated the highest attitudes and self-efficacy to lose weight, whereas those exposed to thin and unattractive model pictures indicated the lowest. Furthermore, weight-related messages moderated the effect of model appearance (body size and attractiveness) on controllability of weight-loss activities. However, website pictures' body size differences had no main effects on planned behavior toward weight loss. These effects ar...
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2014
This study investigated how avatar appearance and cognitive load affect virtual interactions. Ava... more This study investigated how avatar appearance and cognitive load affect virtual interactions. Avatar salespeople dressed in black were perceived as unpersuasive and untrustworthy, and were offered less money compared to avatars in white clothes. Moreover, participants stood closer to avatars in white clothes compared to avatars dressed in black. Contrary to the traditional prediction (i.e., cognitively busy participants would trust avatars in white clothes the most but avatars in dark clothes the least), cognitively nonbusy participants expressed less trust towards avatar salespeople dressed in black instead of white clothes, while cognitively busy participants trusted both characters equally. The findings expanded current research on virtual social influence by considering the effects of the clothing color of virtual characters, along with how cognitive load and avatar appearance can modify perceived avatar trustworthiness when combined.
This study examined how exposure to thin/obese and attractive/unattractive model pictures in webs... more This study examined how exposure to thin/obese and attractive/unattractive model pictures in websites affected language use when responding to weight loss or body acceptance posts. Participants exposed to attractive models were less socially oriented as indicated by using fewer function words and pronouns. These participants also used fewer discrepancy words (e.g., could, would), which may reflect upward social comparisons and activation of physical attractiveness stereotypes. Additionally, participants exposed to obese and unattractive models used more pronouns and perception words (e.g., weight, thin), implying downward social comparisons and priming of unhealthiness stereotypes that increased attention to other people's body shape. The findings show how words of advice are affected by situational cues including website images and persuasive posts. Participants gave online advise after exposure to website photos and weight-related posts.Language use showed decreased social orientation after exposure to attractive models.Word choice revealed social comparisons and activation of stereotypes.Overall, words of advice are affected by website images and persuasive posts.
In order to examine the cognitive readiness effects of training technologies, 123 participants wa... more In order to examine the cognitive readiness effects of training technologies, 123 participants watched emotional or tactical military training videos and then played a training videogame in a pre-post test between-subjects experiment. Emotional training video exposure reduced participants’ ability to suppress emotion and need to control one’s thoughts. After playing the videogame, participants exposed to the emotional video had higher metacognitive self-consciousness scores. Nationalism was negatively associated with emotion reappraisal for participants exposed to the emotional training video. However, patriotism was linked to higher emotion suppression scores. The results illustrate how media priming connects to short-term cognitive readiness outcomes and how trainee nationalism and patriotism modulate exposure effects.
This study (N = 217) explores the potential for virtual reality to decrease social distance towar... more This study (N = 217) explores the potential for virtual reality to decrease social distance toward outgroup members among women. Raising the salience of individuals’ real physical identity through avatar customization and common ingroup identity manipulations was theorized to influence social distance. Participants who customized an avatar to resemble their real selves showed increased social distance. However, avatar customization also increased user identifiability, which was linked to reduced social distance. Priming a common ingroup identity increased identity salience but did not influence social distance. In examining heterogeneous effects by prior levels of issue involvement, participants with high and moderate involvement with immigration showed increased social distance after customizing an avatar to resemble their real selves, thus implying boomerang effects. The study discusses how avatar customization, identifiability, and common ingroup primes in virtual encounters may ...
This study examined how priming social concepts and manipulating physical poses when playing a mo... more This study examined how priming social concepts and manipulating physical poses when playing a motion-sensing flight game affected ensuing prosocial behaviors. After the experimenter " accidentally " dropped pencils, participants primed with superheroes were faster at helping compared with a control condition. Participants who controlled the game while standing and holding expansive poses helped more compared with those in the expansive pose/sitting condition. Sitting participants primed with supervillains showed decreased prosocial intention. The study expanded on previous research and addressed possible confounds by providing evidence of how social primes and physical poses affect prosocial behavior after a virtual flight task. The paper discusses theoretical implications and future directions for research interested in cognitive processes and physical mechanics in virtual experiences.
This study examined whether persuasive health messages embedded in shooter games have broad or ta... more This study examined whether persuasive health messages embedded in shooter games have broad or targeted effects on players’ willingness to engage in risk behaviors (N = 145). Participants presented with in-game health messages discouraging alcohol-impaired driving of motor vehicles showed reduced willingness to drink alcohol and to operate both motor and nonmotor vehicles, compared to those in a no-message gaming control condition. There were no spillover effects on willingness to smoke cigarettes or marijuana, thus implying targeted persuasive effects. In addition, players experiencing high instead of low cognitive load showed decreased postexperiment willingness to drink and operate nonmotor vehicles, thus suggesting that playing a game under high cognitive load can influence players’ attitudes. The findings replicate previous research and further expand on knowledge-activation and thought-disruption mechanisms underlying the persuasiveness of health messages.
Though playing with natural versus traditional game controllers affects game experiences, studies... more Though playing with natural versus traditional game controllers affects game experiences, studies have not investigated how power poses affect the experience of playing natural controlled video games. Participants keeping powerful poses experienced increased enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness compared with those holding powerless poses. Congruent with self-perception and automatic activation models, mediation analyses uncovered direct effects of power poses and also indirect effects in which power poses increased power feelings, which in turn were associated with higher enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness but reduced arousal. This provides initial evidence for how physical poses affect people's experiences with natural game interfaces, and highlight basic self-perception and automatic activation mechanisms behind the effect.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2018
This study expands on game character perspective-taking effects on political opinions while contr... more This study expands on game character perspective-taking effects on political opinions while controlling for players' social dominance orientation or inclination for inequality among social groups. Random assignment to play a game as an immigration inspector decreased intention, subjective norms, and self-efficacy to help immigrants relative to baseline scores. The scores of participants randomly assigned to play a game similar in style but instead featuring the role of a newspaper editor remained unchanged. Within-subjects effects implied that baseline reductions in intention, subjective norms, and self-efficacy to help immigrants were solely attributed to playing games as game immigration inspectors. The study provides initial evidence that taking on the perspective of game characters can influence players' opinions about political issues, such as immigration.
Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Caro... more Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Carolyn Cunningham, offers critical inquiry into how identity is constructed, deconstructed, performed, and perceived on social networking sites (SNSs), such as Facebook, and LinkedIn. The presentation of identity is key to success or failure in the Information Age, especially because SNSs are becoming the dominant form of communication among Internet users. The architecture of SNSs provide opportunities to ask questions such as who am I; what matters to me; and, how do I want others to perceive me? Original research studies in this collection utilize both quantitative and qualitative methods to study a range of issues related to identity management on SNSs including authenticity, professional uses of SNSs, LGBTQ identities, and psychological and cultural impacts. Together, the contributors to this volume draw on current research in the field and offer new theoretical frameworks and research methods to further the conversation on impression management and SNSs, making this text essential for both students and scholars of social media. --Publisher\u27s website
This study examined how exposure to pictures of women with different body sizes (thin, obese), ph... more This study examined how exposure to pictures of women with different body sizes (thin, obese), physical attractiveness levels (attractive, unattractive), along with exposure to weight-related messages (pro-anorexia, anti-anorexia) embedded in a fashion website affected female participants' planned behavior toward weight loss. Participants exposed to attractive model pictures showed higher intentions, attitudes, and subjective norms to lose weight compared with unattractive models. Additionally, participants exposed to thin and attractive model pictures indicated the highest attitudes and self-efficacy to lose weight, whereas those exposed to thin and unattractive model pictures indicated the lowest. Furthermore, weight-related messages moderated the effect of model appearance (body size and attractiveness) on controllability of weight-loss activities. However, website pictures' body size differences had no main effects on planned behavior toward weight loss. These effects ar...
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 2014
This study investigated how avatar appearance and cognitive load affect virtual interactions. Ava... more This study investigated how avatar appearance and cognitive load affect virtual interactions. Avatar salespeople dressed in black were perceived as unpersuasive and untrustworthy, and were offered less money compared to avatars in white clothes. Moreover, participants stood closer to avatars in white clothes compared to avatars dressed in black. Contrary to the traditional prediction (i.e., cognitively busy participants would trust avatars in white clothes the most but avatars in dark clothes the least), cognitively nonbusy participants expressed less trust towards avatar salespeople dressed in black instead of white clothes, while cognitively busy participants trusted both characters equally. The findings expanded current research on virtual social influence by considering the effects of the clothing color of virtual characters, along with how cognitive load and avatar appearance can modify perceived avatar trustworthiness when combined.
This study examined how exposure to thin/obese and attractive/unattractive model pictures in webs... more This study examined how exposure to thin/obese and attractive/unattractive model pictures in websites affected language use when responding to weight loss or body acceptance posts. Participants exposed to attractive models were less socially oriented as indicated by using fewer function words and pronouns. These participants also used fewer discrepancy words (e.g., could, would), which may reflect upward social comparisons and activation of physical attractiveness stereotypes. Additionally, participants exposed to obese and unattractive models used more pronouns and perception words (e.g., weight, thin), implying downward social comparisons and priming of unhealthiness stereotypes that increased attention to other people's body shape. The findings show how words of advice are affected by situational cues including website images and persuasive posts. Participants gave online advise after exposure to website photos and weight-related posts.Language use showed decreased social orientation after exposure to attractive models.Word choice revealed social comparisons and activation of stereotypes.Overall, words of advice are affected by website images and persuasive posts.
In order to examine the cognitive readiness effects of training technologies, 123 participants wa... more In order to examine the cognitive readiness effects of training technologies, 123 participants watched emotional or tactical military training videos and then played a training videogame in a pre-post test between-subjects experiment. Emotional training video exposure reduced participants’ ability to suppress emotion and need to control one’s thoughts. After playing the videogame, participants exposed to the emotional video had higher metacognitive self-consciousness scores. Nationalism was negatively associated with emotion reappraisal for participants exposed to the emotional training video. However, patriotism was linked to higher emotion suppression scores. The results illustrate how media priming connects to short-term cognitive readiness outcomes and how trainee nationalism and patriotism modulate exposure effects.
This study (N = 217) explores the potential for virtual reality to decrease social distance towar... more This study (N = 217) explores the potential for virtual reality to decrease social distance toward outgroup members among women. Raising the salience of individuals’ real physical identity through avatar customization and common ingroup identity manipulations was theorized to influence social distance. Participants who customized an avatar to resemble their real selves showed increased social distance. However, avatar customization also increased user identifiability, which was linked to reduced social distance. Priming a common ingroup identity increased identity salience but did not influence social distance. In examining heterogeneous effects by prior levels of issue involvement, participants with high and moderate involvement with immigration showed increased social distance after customizing an avatar to resemble their real selves, thus implying boomerang effects. The study discusses how avatar customization, identifiability, and common ingroup primes in virtual encounters may ...
This study examined how priming social concepts and manipulating physical poses when playing a mo... more This study examined how priming social concepts and manipulating physical poses when playing a motion-sensing flight game affected ensuing prosocial behaviors. After the experimenter " accidentally " dropped pencils, participants primed with superheroes were faster at helping compared with a control condition. Participants who controlled the game while standing and holding expansive poses helped more compared with those in the expansive pose/sitting condition. Sitting participants primed with supervillains showed decreased prosocial intention. The study expanded on previous research and addressed possible confounds by providing evidence of how social primes and physical poses affect prosocial behavior after a virtual flight task. The paper discusses theoretical implications and future directions for research interested in cognitive processes and physical mechanics in virtual experiences.
This study examined whether persuasive health messages embedded in shooter games have broad or ta... more This study examined whether persuasive health messages embedded in shooter games have broad or targeted effects on players’ willingness to engage in risk behaviors (N = 145). Participants presented with in-game health messages discouraging alcohol-impaired driving of motor vehicles showed reduced willingness to drink alcohol and to operate both motor and nonmotor vehicles, compared to those in a no-message gaming control condition. There were no spillover effects on willingness to smoke cigarettes or marijuana, thus implying targeted persuasive effects. In addition, players experiencing high instead of low cognitive load showed decreased postexperiment willingness to drink and operate nonmotor vehicles, thus suggesting that playing a game under high cognitive load can influence players’ attitudes. The findings replicate previous research and further expand on knowledge-activation and thought-disruption mechanisms underlying the persuasiveness of health messages.
Though playing with natural versus traditional game controllers affects game experiences, studies... more Though playing with natural versus traditional game controllers affects game experiences, studies have not investigated how power poses affect the experience of playing natural controlled video games. Participants keeping powerful poses experienced increased enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness compared with those holding powerless poses. Congruent with self-perception and automatic activation models, mediation analyses uncovered direct effects of power poses and also indirect effects in which power poses increased power feelings, which in turn were associated with higher enjoyment, presence, and controller responsiveness but reduced arousal. This provides initial evidence for how physical poses affect people's experiences with natural game interfaces, and highlight basic self-perception and automatic activation mechanisms behind the effect.
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