Intro, Literature review and Method section-Psy **Due Tuesday**

Media Influence on Body Image

Michele Jackson

Argosy University

Final Project: Early Methods Section

1. What is your research question?

 Does Reality TV influence perceive body image in the adolescent child?

2. What is your hypothesis or hypotheses? What is the null hypothesis?

H0: Reality TV does not influence perceived body image in the adolescent child

H1: Reality TV does influence perceived body image in the adolescent child

3. Participants

To qualify as a participant in the study the age should range from eight years to sixteen years. Culturally, the study will use African American, Caucasian, and other racial backgrounds. The study intends to use adolescents from the same socio-economic levels to attain reliability and validity with the current data analysis and collection for the study. The researchers will use an audit trail and reflective journal to achieve a high degree of dependability.

4. Sampling technique

We will use a purposeful sample with the adequate number of adolescents to facilitate efficient and effective saturation of categories. Any negative case enhances validity since it demonstrates that the aspects of the analysis are less than obvious. To improve transferability in the study we will use moderate populated schools in the samples that attract adolescents from multiple cultures, histories, and comparable socio-economic levels across the city.

5. What are the variables in your study?

Demographic data, race, body dissatisfaction, body image, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, media pressure, awareness, self-confidence, and internalization

6. Provide operational definitions for each variable.

The race will mention the cultural background of each participant. The awareness of body image and self-image begins to form at a young age. It is not clear whether the desire or pressure to become thin affects all adolescents equally. At the age of six, girls desire a thin body and use some types of diet to obtain low weight and thin body. Girls spend a lot of time watching television or magazines to focus on the appearance and use thin models.

Ethnically African Americans are not influenced by the media. A majority of Caucasian participants indicate a desire to look like the thin models shown in advertisements.

The media pressure will present one’s effect of media portrayal. There seems to be a consensus that the mass media does tend to influence one's perception of body image. Exposure of commercials that use thin models leads to higher levels of dissatisfaction with overall body image.

7. Measuring of variables

The researchers will use a Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory to measure specific bodies such as waist and thighs. Additionally, A Multidimensional Media Influence Scale (MMIS) will measure five dimensions of media influence that include awareness of media thin ideal, media publicized ideas, the importance assigned to media information, tendency to compare one body image, and perception of the media to emulate look as depicted by models. The MMIS scale five subscales with four items per subscale. We will increase the font size so that the low graders can view them properly to avoid confusion. We will conduct measures of internal consistency to examine the reliability of three subscales. We will conduct a series of Pearson product-moment correlations to examine the relationship between subscales of MMIS and body dissatisfaction as measured by the EDI-BD. Next, our team of researchers will conduct multiple regression analysis with subscales of MMIS as the predictors and body dissatisfaction of the criterion measure.

8. Technique for data collection

To gain insight into the influence of the media on different cultural groups, it is crucial to apply an open-ended survey distributed to the adolescents. An open-ended survey consists three cultural aggregations: Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. The questions in the survey dwell on media influence on body image, effects of the community, and self-confidence. Each of the surveys has cultural categories, and the student could have either influence by the media or no influence by the media. Students between age eleven and sixteen filled out questionnaire forms that contain demographic data, survey on media exposure (Granatino & Haytko, 2013).

The researchers will apply a six-step approach to data analysis that includes:

(a) Familiarizing with the data

(b) Generating initial codes

(c) Searching for themes

(d) Reviewing Themes

(e) Defining and naming themes

(f) Producing the report

9. Research design used

The study will apply a humanist interpretative point of view to offer a perception that social reality is a world of ideas and meanings where it will exist independent of human subjects that create and interpret meaning. Participants in this study should be active creators of realities to uncover meanings. With the particular design, it is impossible to separate Inquirer from the inquired. The researchers will use a semi-structured focus group to elicit and validate the collective responses of the students. We will apply a qualitative methodology to match with the research question. Qualitative methods deem appropriate as this design provides an opportunity for the adolescents to express their views and experiences about the concepts.

10. Procedure to conduct the research

Children whose parents or guardians consented to their participation have to complete a questionnaire packet during the regular school hours in the classroom setting (Cusumano, 2001). Researchers will begin each session by assisting participants to complete the demographic sheet and media survey

It is imperative that we immerse ourselves with the data to a point that we are familiar with the breadth of the content. Next, we will code the data line by line to search for meanings and ideas, the general pattern of understanding, as categories of analysis emerge. We will ask the students questions concerning their psychological wellness and categories that relate to body image. In this study, we should determine that the adolescents views and concepts of psychological wellness and healthy body; as the body (Spurr, Berry, & Walker, 2013). Next, we will search for themes and consider how different codes combine to establish an overarching theme. After completing the forms, researchers will discuss with the participants concerning construct of body image and media’s effect and its development.

11. Ethical issues

Some of the ethical issues that arise in the study are the classification of students in accordance with race. Some parents may feel that it is wrong to classify their children based on racial backgrounds (Cusumano, 2001). All researchers in the study should confirm throughout the analysis that ideas emerging remain consistent with new data. It is the duty of every researcher to check and recheck the consistency of the coding system with no cognitive leaps. In the place, as researchers in this study we will use the help of external professional researchers to provide an additional perspective and ensure that findings depict a credible interpretation.

To proceed with the study, we would have to receive ethical approval from the University Ethics Committee, permission from the head of education in the school district, and principals from schools in the area. We would have to gain consent as well from parents and teachers of the students by informing those involved with the purpose and procedures of the study, and an explanation of different groups. All participants would have to fill out consent forms with signatures from parents or guardians allowing them to participate in this study. Other ethical issues that might arise from this form of data collection would be compromising the results of the survey, and confidentiality; it is essential to maintain the participants personal information remains confidential at all times

Conclusion

• Females are more likely than males to report influence on media images

• It is important to encourage adolescents to use education to appraise media images

• The impact of media on cross-cultural differences, ethnic identity, and acculturation need substantial clarification.

References

Cusumano, D. K. (2001). Media influence and body image in 8-11-year-old boys and girls: a preliminary report on the multidimensional media influence scale. International journal of eating disorders, 29(1), 37-44.

Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-61. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196508089?accountid=34899

Eisend, M., & Möller, J. (2007). The influence of TV viewing on consumers' body images and related consumption behavior. Marketing Letters, 18(1-2), 101-116. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11002-006-9004-8

Granatino, R., & Haytko, D. L. (2013). Body image, confidence, and media influence: A study of middle school adolescents. Journal of applied Business Research, 29(1), 45. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1426770036?accountid=34899

Lawrie, Z., Sullivan, E. A., Davies, P. W., & Hill, R. J. (2006). Media influence on the body image of children and adolescents. Eating Disorders, 14(5), 355-364.

López-Guimerà, G., Levine, M., Sánchez-Carracedo, D., & Fauquet, J. (2010). Influence of mass media on body image and eating disordered attitudes and behaviors in females: A review of effects and processes. Media Psychology, 387-416. doi:1060153269-2010.525737

Strasburger, V. C., M.D. (1985). Television and adolescents. Pediatric Annals, 14(12), 814-815,818-820. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1023310886?accountid=34899

Spurr, S., Berry, L., & Walker, K. (2013). Exploring adolescent views of body image: the influence of media. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 36(1/2), 17-36. doi:10.3109/01460862.2013.776145

Tiggemann, M. (2005). Television and adolescent body image: the role of program content and viewing motivation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24(3), 361-381. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224841497?accountid=34899

Winham, D., & Hampl, J. S. (2008). Adolescents report television characters do not influence their self-perceptions of body image, weight, clothing choices or food habits. Young Consumers, 9(2), 121-130. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17473610810879693