BHVS316 Psychology and Mass Media

Unit 1 – Individual Project: Media Effects Research

Deliverable Length: you will write a paper 7 pages (5 pages of content = 1600 words + 1 title page + 1 reference page) in length, in APA format (including at least 4 scholarly references)

You will be attending an upcoming psychological conference on psychology and mass media. While packing for the conference, you are struck by a particular advertisement you see on television. You have seen this same product advertised in magazines, on the radio, on billboards, and on the Internet. This commercial has you thinking more about the interplay between psychology and mass media. You decide to analyze the advertising campaign and use it as an example during the conference.

Using a psychosocial perspective and media research, you will analyze a product campaign to fully demonstrate your understanding of the effects and impacts of propaganda, social influence, persuasion, and attitude changes on society. You will also examine how your own behaviors are influenced by popular media and mass communication.

Select a company that is currently promoting one of its products and has an extensive advertising campaign running at this time.

• What product did you select, and why? What were your initial reactions to the product advertising campaign under analysis?
  • Did the campaign change your attitude? If so, how?
  • Did the campaign change your behavior? If so, what did you do differently?
• Use the following sociopsychological approaches to describe your understanding of persuasion and propaganda used in the campaign:
  • Authority: Did the campaign use an authoritative figure to persuade you?
  • Reciprocity: Did the campaign offer something in reciprocation?
  • Commitment or Consistency: Do you feel a sense of commitment or need for consistency because of the campaign?
  • Social Proof: Do you feel a sense of social approval because of the campaign?
  • Likeability: Do you like the people in the campaign?
  • Scarcity: Does the campaign imply a scarcity of the product?
• Discuss your understanding of the media effects of the campaign, and include information on the following:
  • Micro-level effects: How does the campaign affect individuals?
  • Macro-level effects: How does the campaign affect groups or communities?
• Identify a minimum of 2 research articles on related media effects that have been studied in the past as they relate to individuals, groups, and your product or similar products.
• Include any media research and available data that are specifically related to your product and the advertising campaign.

Reading and Learning Materials

Use these resources to help you complete this assignment:

• Science Of Persuasion
• Media Effects
• Managing Theories, Effects and Mechanisms for Narratives in a Media Text
• Media Effects Research

Assignment Objectives

• Evaluate socio-psychological perspectives that further our understanding of persuasion and propaganda.
• Examine the ways that individuals perceive, interpret, use, and respond to information and images in mass media.
• Explore the interactions between psychology and the many forms of media available.