a e j m c morality methodology ( mina tsay)
TRANSCRIPT
Methodological Issues in the Study of
Morality and Media
Mina Tsay, Ph.D.Assistant Professor
Department of Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public RelationsCollege of Communication
Boston University
The Case for Morality and Media: Overviewing, Reviewing, and Previewing our
Understanding of Morality in Media Uses and Effects
AEJMC 2011 St. Louis
Questions of InterestDoes morality impact:
Media choices?Response to media content?
Characters Narrative Gratifications
Our moral codes and values?
Does content reflect cultural differences in morality?
Methodological Challenges
Conscious vs. unconscious processing/ emotional reactions
Moral judgment vs. feeling?
Self-reports of moral reasoning, character perceptions, and overall media experience
Tapping into social justice, feelings of guilt, rationalization, empathy, enjoyment => all “imply” moral justification or disengagement
Methodological Challenges (cont.)
Dichotomy of “good” vs. “evil” is problematicConsideration of morally ambiguous characters
Methodological Challenges (cont.)
Moral ambiguity based on:Traits?Behaviors?Anticipated outcome?Character liking?Empathy?Character similarity?Or a combination?
Methodological Challenges (cont.)
Morality subculturesWithin and across different nationalitiesCultural/socialization considerations
Morality across media platformsTraditional vs. interactive
Interactive Games
Methodological Challenges (cont.)
Moral codes/boundariesNarrative vs. real world
If video games enhance “interactivity,” how do we accurately “measure” their true impact on moral codes exhibited in the real world?Behavioral/physiological measuresMay need to depend on measures outside of affective, perceptual, and cognitive ones
Food for Thought
Need to consider:
Context (changing media landscape)
Triangulation of methods and measures (qualitative and quantitative)