The study got three big aims: (1) to examine adolescents’ different choices for news data and you can celebrities having parasocial focus, (2) to understand more about the fresh frequency and you may construal from PSR within the a teen test, and you will (3) to determine if or not gender differences emerged inside the teenage parasocial procedure. Regarding adolescents’ choices of media rates and you may celebs, we hypothesized you to extremely salient stars, eg stars and you will writers and singers, might possibly be appear to stated, which have lower costs from endorsement having low-visual a-listers otherwise dead media numbers. We along with asked telecommunications ranging from sorts of star chose plus the services teenagers of the all of them, because very apparent celebrities is regarding the looks, whereas professional athletes and you will non-painters is appreciated due to their talents. To possess PSR, i asked adolescence whom involved with PSR in order to declaration even more hierarchical than egalitarian relationship, however dating Alanya women online, towards extent that type seemed, we asked hierarchical PSR is for the really love from a celebrity’s ability and egalitarian PSR to-be in the physical appearance. I in addition to questioned PSR becoming of this highest engagement, intensity, and resource when you look at the parasocial items. For gender distinctions, we asked higher endorsement out-of sports athletes one of boys and you will actresses certainly one of girls, higher cost of engagement, power, and you may PSR inside girls than boys, as well as boys to know the superstars because of their skills a lot more will than girls. Finally, i expected girls as even more private about their parasocial situations than just boys.
The initial sample was 107 girls (Mage = , SD = 0.35) and 61 boys (Mage = , SD = 0.42) in ninth grade at a public high school in a US Northeastern suburb. However, seven girls (6.5%) and eight boys (13.1%) did not identify a celebrity of whom they were particularly fond, so the final sample included 100 girls (Mage = , SD = 0.35) and 53 boys (Mage = , SD = 0.38). This ratio reflects the gender ratios in much of the research on PSI (Cohen, 1999, 2003, 2004; Cole and Leets, 1999; Maltby et al., 2006; Derrick et al., 2008, 2009). Adolescents were 73% Caucasian, 12% Asian, 8% Biracial, 2% Latino, 2% African-American, and 1% Native-American (2% chose “Other” or did not respond), and approximately 75% had at least one parent who had graduated college. Participation (72.3%) was solicited through a letter and consent form sent to parents through the school. Participants received a $5 gift certificate for ice cream, and the school received a donation. This study was carried out with the approval of and in accordance with the recommendations of the Wellesley College Ethics Review Board with written informed consent from parents and assent from all participants in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
A survey addressed aspects of (PSI/PSR) as well as identification out-of a-listers chose to own parasocial interest while the variety and you will version during the quasi-matchmaking envisioned with our a-listers. I investigated if or not superstar vocation otherwise dating thought were about the advantages teenagers admired inside their picked celebs, including emotional and you may behavioural manifestations from PSI/PSR, such as participants’ number of involvement from inside the parasocial things, the new psychological intensity of the experience, the efforts to locate out regarding their chose celebrities, and whether they mutual their interest throughout these mass media numbers that have relatives and buddies. Players were first requested to recognize a same-sex celebrity out-of which these were such as for example happy (“Extremely teenage girls/boys has actually a prominent star or a prominent reputation out-of Tv, movie, or pop music society: and this Women/Men Superstar are you like attracted to?”). g., Derrick ainsi que al., 2008).
News data called have been categorized with the four star products: step 1 = actors, dos = athletes, step three = vocalists, cuatro = general famous people (e.g., cam show servers Oprah), and 5 = editors. Celebrities that fit to your several categories (elizabeth.grams., Oprah is even a celebrity) was basically coded with respect to the class whereby these were ideal identified. A few independent coders scored every solutions; reliability is higher (kappa = 0.92). Disputes have been fixed by discussion.