The study got around three big seeks: (1) to look at adolescents’ different choices for news figures and celebrities getting parasocial notice, (2) to explore the prevalence and you will construal of PSR into the a teenager test, and you may (3) to ascertain whether or not gender distinctions emerged within the adolescent parasocial techniques. Regarding adolescents’ different choices for media data and you can superstars, we hypothesized one to extremely salient a-listers, such as stars and you will artisans, could well be seem to said, that have lower costs regarding approval to possess non-visual famous people or inactive news numbers. We in addition to expected communication ranging from type of star chose together with properties teenagers on the all of them, where highly obvious celebs might be associated with the appearance, while professional athletes and you can non-writers and singers would-be appreciated because of their strengths. To own PSR, we asked adolescence exactly who engaged in PSR in order to statement more hierarchical than just egalitarian relationships, but to your the quantity one to variation looked, we requested hierarchical PSR becoming regarding the fancy from a great celebrity’s skill and you will egalitarian PSR are associated with the looks. I also questioned PSR to-be from the higher engagement, strength, and you may money into the parasocial facts. As for gender differences, we requested greater acceptance off players among boys and you may actresses one of girls, high cost out of involvement, power, and you may PSR in girls than simply boys, and boys to appreciate the celebrities for their skills a whole lot more will than just girls. Lastly, i asked girls to get alot more personal about their parasocial factors than simply boys.

People

The initial sample was 107 girls (M_age = , SD = 0.35) and 61 boys (M_age = , 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 (M_age = , SD = 0.35) and 53 boys (M_age = , 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.

Measures

A survey addressed aspects of (PSI/PSR) plus personality from a-listers picked for parasocial focus therefore the diversity and adaptation in the quasi-relationships thought with these celebs. I examined if star vocation or relationship thought was associated with the features teens admired in their picked famous people, in addition to mental and you may behavioral symptoms from PSI/PSR, abd’dekiМ‡ iМ‡talyan taniЕџma siМ‡teleriМ‡ such as for example participants’ number of wedding from inside the parasocial products, the brand new emotional concentration of the experience, their hard work finding out about their picked superstars, and you will whether or not they mutual their interest on these mass media figures with family and friends. People had been first expected to recognize a same-sex star from who these were such fond (“Really teenage girls/boys features a popular celebrity otherwise popular character away from Television, movie, otherwise pop culture: hence Women/Male Star will you be such as for instance fond of?”). grams., Derrick et al., 2008).

Star Type of

News rates entitled was indeed categorized into the four celebrity types: 1 = stars, 2 = sports athletes, step 3 = singers, cuatro = standard a-listers (elizabeth.g., speak show servers Oprah), and you can 5 = publishers. Celebs that suit on the several kinds (age.grams., Oprah is even a celebrity) were coded depending on the category wherein they certainly were finest recognized. One or two separate programmers scored all the solutions; accuracy is large (kappa = 0.92). Disputes was basically resolved of the dialogue.