Television Viewing and Ethnic Stereotypes: Do College Students Form Stereotypical Perceptions of Ethnic Groups as a Result of Heavy Television Consumption?

A study examined college students' television viewing patterns and subsequent perceptions of ethnic minority groups in the U.S. Data were obtained from 450 college students, whose opinions about five different ethnic groups were solicited using a brief version of the Big-Five Personality Traits ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Howard Journal of Communications Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 95 - 111
Main Authors:	Lee, Moon J., Bichard, Shannon L., Irey, Megan S., Walt, Heather M., Carlson, Alana J.
Format:	Article
Published:	Taylor & Francis Ltd January/March 2009
Subjects:	Racial & ethnic attitudes College student attitudes Television viewers Stereotypes on television
Online Access:	View this record in EBSCOhost

Description
Summary:	A study examined college students' television viewing patterns and subsequent perceptions of ethnic minority groups in the U.S. Data were obtained from 450 college students, whose opinions about five different ethnic groups were solicited using a brief version of the Big-Five Personality Traits instrument. Findings identified considerable differences in stereotypes held on the basis of the amount of television viewing and level of exposure to particular television genres. Findings suggested that many heavy television viewers subscribe to ethnic stereotypes. Findings and implications are discussed.