Transcript Obesity Biases Based on Gender and Race by Jessica Kerwin

The Effects of Media Messages and Perspective-Taking on Prejudice
Toward Individuals with Mental Illness
Erin Ratliff, Kaitlyn Meyer, Chelsey Gavin, Katelyn Gavin, Annie Dunn, Rose MacKay, Marissa Zerby, and Gretchen Sechrist, Ph.D.
Mansfield University
ABSTRACT
METHOD
Research suggests media messages about violent crimes which
emphasize an individual’s mental illness increase prejudice toward
individuals with mental illness. This study examined if perspectivetaking would reduce this effect. Participants read a news article
emphasizing mental illness or not, and were asked to take the
perspective of an individual with mental illness or not. Attitudes
toward individuals with mental illness were then assessed. Results
demonstrated that perspective-taking reduced prejudice when mental
illness was emphasized. Implications of media coverage are discussed.
Participants: 165 (57 male, 108 female) undergraduate
students at Mansfield University; Age ranged from 17-22
years (M = 19.31).
Procedure: After completing an informed consent form,
participants read a news article about an individual with
mental illness who committed a mass shooting. For half of
the participants, the article emphasized the individual’s
mental illness, whereas for the other half it did not.
Furthermore, half of the participants were instructed to
consider the perspective of someone with mental illness
when reading the article, whereas the other half were not
given such instructions. After reading the article, all
participants completed a memory test, for which they were
asked to recall information from the story. Participants then
completed a questionnaire, supposedly for another research
team, to measure their attitudes toward individuals with
mental illness. The questionnaire included the Social Distance
scale and a modified version of the Beliefs Toward Mental
Illness scale. All participants were debriefed.
PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
Past research demonstrated that media messages about violent crimes,
which emphasize or place blame on the individual’s mental illness,
increase negative attitudes toward individuals with mental illness.
Stigmatizing media messages also increased desired social distance and
perceived dangerousness of individuals with mental illness (McGinty,
Webster, & Barry, 2013). Nairn, Coverdale, and Claasen (2001) reviewed
50 published news items discussing individuals with mental illness. The
researchers found that the media messages were substantially more
negative than the source material (psychiatric patients’ health
information provided by the Privacy Commissioner). The portrayal of
individuals with psychological disorders on television does not help the
matter, as 75% of violent acts committed in television dramas are
committed by an individual with a mental illness (Foster, 2010).
Perspective-taking empathy, the process of taking another’s point of
view, has been shown to decrease negative attitudes and prejudice
toward stereotyped individuals (Galinsky, Ku, & Wang, 2005 & Vescio,
Sechrist, & Paolucci, 2003). Perspective-taking has also been shown to
increase an individual’s willingness to help an out-group member and is
a useful tool for decreasing the accessibility of stereotypes (Galinsky &
Moskowitz, 2000). Few studies have used perspective taking as a tool
to reduce mental illness stigma.
The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of news
media messages and perspective-taking on participants’ attitudes
towards individuals with mental illness.
HYPOTHESIS
Perspective-taking will mediate the stigmatizing effect of the news
article resulting in more positive attitudes toward individuals.
RESULTS
A 2 (Perspective Taking: No, Yes) X 2 (Emphasis: No, Yes)
ANOVA was conducted for each of the dependent variables
(social distance and attitudes toward mental illness). There
was a significant Perspective Taking X Emphasis interaction for
the social distance measure, F(1, 161) = 4.66, p < .05 and for
individuals’ beliefs toward mental illness, F(1, 161) = 3.96, p <
.05. See Figures 1 and 2. Note: High numbers indicate more
favorable attitudes toward individuals with mental illness.
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
A significant interaction between perspective taking and emphasis
on mental illness for the social distance measure was found. The
results showed that when mental illness was emphasized,
participants reported being more favorable (less social distance)
toward individuals with mental illness under perspective-taking
instructions as compared to no instructions. When a mental illness
was not emphasized in the article, participants were more
favorable when they were not given perspective-taking
instructions. The results also showed this same significant
interaction between perspective taking and emphasis for
individuals' beliefs toward mental illness.
The results suggest that when mental illness is emphasized,
perspective-taking should be included as well, to avoid increasing
prejudice toward individuals with mental illness. This finding is
supported by past research on perspective-taking and stereotypes
(Galinsky, Ku, & Wang, 2005 & Vescio, Sechrist, & Paolucci, 2003).
Interestingly, we found if mental illness is not emphasized, then
perspective-taking should not be included.
The current study has implications for media sources when
reporting on crimes committed by individuals with some form of
mental illness. Our findings suggest that if news sources emphasize
the criminal’s mental illness, then perspective-taking must be
included to avoid increasing prejudice. However, if the mental
illness is not emphasized, then perspective-taking instructions
should not be included, as they may increase prejudice.