Papers by Mary Beth Oliver
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Sex Roles, 1998
To what extent do differences in biologicalsexand psychological gender identity influence affecti... more To what extent do differences in biologicalsexand psychological gender identity influence affectivereactions to different genres of film? In order toaddress this question, this investigation examined the impact of sex and gender roleself-perceptions on viewers' responses to neutral,melodramatic, and violent film segments. Working with apredominantly Caucasian population (93% Caucasian) at asoutheastern university, the results emphasize theimportance of sex and gender role self-perceptions onviewers' affective responses to media entertainment. Theimplications of these findings are discussed.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Human Communication Research, 1993
The concept of met emotions (appraisals of emotional reactions) was used in three studies designe... more The concept of met emotions (appraisals of emotional reactions) was used in three studies designed to explore the enjoyment of sad films and to develop a scale that would reflect such gratifications. Study 1 showed that sad reactions in response to this type of entertainment were positively related to enjoyment and that females reported stronger reactions both in terms of enjoyment and in terms of sad responses than males. The Sad-Film Scale (SFS) developed in Study 1 was positively associated with measures of empathy, femininity, and positive appraisals of sad emotions. Study 2 found evidence of the scale's reliability and validity. Study 3 demonstrated predictive validity of the SFS in terms of the enjoyment of a specific sad film and in terms of favorable ratings of met emotions reported directly after viewing a sad film.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 2000
Many forms of entertainment are stereotyped along sex-linked lines. While genres such as action-a... more Many forms of entertainment are stereotyped along sex-linked lines. While genres such as action-adventure, adult entertainment, and sports are generally thought to fall within the “male” domain of entertainment fare, other genres such as romance and soap operas ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 2011
The purpose of this article is to examine the experience of appreciation to media entertainment a... more The purpose of this article is to examine the experience of appreciation to media entertainment as a unique audience response that can be differentiated from enjoyment. To those ends, the first section provides a conceptualization of appreciation in which we outline how we are using the term and how it is distinct from questions of emotional valence. The second section
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Human Communication Research, 2010
This article elaborates upon the notion of media enjoyment in the context of film viewing by prop... more This article elaborates upon the notion of media enjoyment in the context of film viewing by proposing a complementary type of gratification that we conceptualize as appreciation. Three studies were conducted to tap into the multidimensionality of viewers' entertainment gratifications with a special focus on the domain of more serious, poignant, and pensive media experiences typically associated with genres such as drama, history, documentary, or art films. These studies provide evidence of and measurement for gratifications related to fun and suspense, but also gratifications related to moving and thought-provoking entertainment experiences, with all three gratifications leading to perceptions of entertainment having a more long-lasting or enduring effect. The results are discussed with regard to the theoretical conceptualization of entertainment gratification.L’appréciation comme réaction de l’auditoire : une exploration des gratifications du divertissement au-delà de l’hédonismeMary Beth OliverRésuméCet article élabore sur la notion de jouissance des médias dans le contexte du visionnement de films en proposant un type complémentaire de gratification, l’appréciation. Trois études ont été menées afin de plonger dans la multidimensionnalité des gratifications que tirent les spectateurs des divertissements. Ces études ont porté une attention particulière au domaine d’expériences médiatiques plus sérieuses, poignantes et pensives, typiquement associées à des genres comme le drame, l’histoire, le documentaire ou le film d’art. Ces études fournissent des preuves et des mesures des gratifications liées à l’amusement et au suspense, mais aussi à des expériences de divertissement émouvantes et inspirantes. Les trois gratifications mènent à des perceptions de divertissement durant plus longtemps. Les résultats sont commentés en lien avec les conceptualisations théoriques de la gratification du divertissement.Mots clés : divertissement, plaisir, appréciation, gratificationsAppreciation as Audience Response: Exploring Entertainment Gratifications Beyond HedonismThis paper elaborates upon the notion of media enjoyment in the context of film viewing by proposing a complementary type of gratification that we conceptualize as appreciation. Three studies were conducted to tap into the multidimensionality of viewers’ entertainment gratifications with a special focus on the domain of more serious, poignant, and pensive media experiences that are typically associated with genres such as drama, history, documentary, or art films. These studies provide evidence of and measurement for gratifications related to fun and suspense, but also gratifications related to moving and thought-provoking entertainme nt experiences, with all three gratifications leading to perceptions of entertainment having a more long-lasting or enduring effect. The results are discussed with regard to the theoretical conceptualization of entertainment gratification.Wertschätzung als Reaktion der Zuschauer: Unterhaltungsgratifikationen über Hedonismus hinausDieser Artikel betrachtet Medienunterhaltung im Kontext von Filmrezeption und schlägt eine komplementäre Art der Gratifikation vor, die wir als Wertschätzung konzeptualisieren. Drei Studien wurden durchgeführt, um die Multidimensionalität von Unterhaltungsgratifikationen beim Zuschauer zu erfassen, wobei der Fokus auf die Domäne der ernsteren, melancholischen und nachdenklichen Medienerlebnisse die typischerweise mit Genres wie Drama, Geschichte, Dokumentation und Künstlerfilm in Verbindung gebracht werden, gelegt wurde. Diese Studien erfassen Gratifikationen verbunden mit Spaß und Spannung, aber auch Gratifikationen verbunden mit bewegenden, zum Nachdenken anregenden Unterhaltungserlebnissen. Alle drei Gratifikationen führen zur Wahrnehmung von andauerndem Unterhaltungserleben. Die Ergebnisse werden mit Blick auf der theoretischen Konzeptualisierung von Unterhaltungsgratifikationen diskutiert.Appreciation as Audience Response: Exploring Entertainment Gratifications Beyond HedonismMary Beth OliverDepartment of Film/Video & Media StudiesPenn State University210 Carnegie BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16801 USATelephone: 814.863.5552FAX: 814.863.8161e-mail: mbo@psu.eduMary Beth Oliver (PhD, 1991, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a professor inFilm/Video & Anne BartschDepartment of Media and Communication StudiesMartin Luther University HalleMMZ Mansfelder Straße 5606108 HalleGermanyTelephone: +49-345-5523576FAX: +49-345-5527058e-mail: anne.bartsch@medienkomm.uni-halle.deMary Beth OliverDepartment of Film/Video & Media StudiesPenn State University210 Carnegie BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16801 USATelephone: 814.863.5552FAX: 814.863.8161e-mail: mbo@psu.eduMary Beth Oliver (PhD, 1991, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a professor inFilm/Video & Anne BartschDepartment of Media and Communication StudiesMartin Luther University HalleMMZ Mansfelder Straße 5606108 HalleGermanyTelephone: +49-345-5523576FAX: +49-345-5527058e-mail: anne.bartsch@medienkomm.uni-halle.deLa Apreciación Como una Respuesta de la Audiencia:Explorando las Gratificaciones del Entretenimiento más allá del HedonismoMary Beth OliverAnne BartschResumenEste artículo elabora sobre la noción del placer de los medios en el contexto de la exposición a películas y propone un tipo de gratificación complementaria que conceptualizamos como apreciación. Tres estudios fueron conducidos para conectar la multidimensionalidad de las gratificaciones de los televidentes de entretenimiento con un enfoque especial sobre el dominio de las experiencias de los medios más serias, patéticas y pensativas que son asociadas típicamente con géneros tales como drama, historia, documentales o películas de arte. Estos estudios proveen de evidencia y medidas para las gratificaciones relacionadas con la diversión y el suspenso, pero también para las gratificaciones relacionadas con las experiencias de entretenimiento que movilizan y provocan pensamiento; las tres gratificaciones tienen la percepción que el entretenimiento posee efectos más duraderos. Los resultados son discutidos en relación con la conceptualización teórica de la gratificación del entretenimiento.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 2011
This contribution explores the relationship of emotion and cognition in entertainment experience.... more This contribution explores the relationship of emotion and cognition in entertainment experience. Drawing on the reflective model of aesthetic experience (Cupchik, 1995) and the concept of appreciation (Oliver & Bartsch, 2010), we propose a multi-level view of affective processing that includes simple affect schemata as well as more elaborate forms of sociomoral reasoning that build on this basic layer of
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Psychological Bulletin, 1993
This meta-analysis surveyed 177 usable sources that reported data on gender differences on 21 dif... more This meta-analysis surveyed 177 usable sources that reported data on gender differences on 21 different measures of sexual attitudes and behaviors. The largest gender difference was in incidence of masturbation: Men had the greater incidence (d = .96). There was also a large gender difference in attitudes toward casual sex: Males had considerably more permissive attitudes (d = .81). There were no gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality or in sexual satisfaction. Most other gender differences were in the small-to-moderate range. Gender differences narrowed from the 1960s to the 1980s for many variables. Chodorow's neoanalytic theory, sociobiology, social learning theory, social role theory, and script theory are discussed in relation to these findings.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Psychological Bulletin, 1993
This meta-analysis surveyed 177 usable sources that reported data on gender differences on 21 dif... more This meta-analysis surveyed 177 usable sources that reported data on gender differences on 21 different measures of sexual attitudes and behaviors. The largest gender difference was in incidence of masturbation: Men had the greater incidence (d = .96). There was also a large gender difference in attitudes toward casual sex: Males had considerably more permissive attitudes (d = .81). There were no gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality or in sexual satisfaction. Most other gender differences were in the small-to-moderate range. Gender differences narrowed from the 1960s to the 1980s for many variables. Chodorow's neoanalytic theory, sociobiology, social learning theory, social role theory, and script theory are discussed in relation to these findings.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Psychological Bulletin, 1995
BE Whitley and ME Kite (1995) included additional studies of gender differences in attitudes towa... more BE Whitley and ME Kite (1995) included additional studies of gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality in their meta-analysis in part because they located additional studies but also because they included studies that did not match our (MB Oliver & JS Hyde, 1993) ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Psychological Bulletin, 1995
BE Whitley and ME Kite (1995) included additional studies of gender differences in attitudes towa... more BE Whitley and ME Kite (1995) included additional studies of gender differences in attitudes toward homosexuality in their meta-analysis in part because they located additional studies but also because they included studies that did not match our (MB Oliver & JS Hyde, 1993) ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Communication Theory, 2004
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Mary Beth Oliver