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Research uncovers what’s behind image in the modeling industry

January 17, 2011 coms 0

The casting sessions aren’t just for movie stars, but what is involved in casting decisions that can launch fashion models to fame – or at the very least – to land a job? Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, a University of Cincinnati assistant professor and socio-cultural anthropologist, spent 11 months of fieldwork at a premiere casting agency in New York to uncover the decisions that happen behind the scenes of the glossy photos and slick commercials.

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Scientists map what factors influence the news agenda

December 22, 2010 coms 0

Computer scientists have analyzed over a million news articles in 22 languages to pinpoint what factors, such as the Eurovision song contest, influence and shape the news agenda in 27 EU countries. This is the first large-scale content-analysis of cross-linguistic text using artificial intelligence techniques.

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Television Drove Viewers to the Web to Explore Obama-Muslim Rumors

September 28, 2010 coms 0

A study examining Americans’ interest in the rumor that Barack Obama is a Muslim shows that the mainstream media – particularly television – still influences the topics that engage the public. Researchers found that online searches about the Obama-Muslim rumor spiked on days that the topic was heavily covered on national television networks, and that searches declined on days when there was less coverage.

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For Teens, Early Sex and Media Exposure Not Linked

September 22, 2010 coms 0

The prevalence of sex in the mainstream media has led many researchers to study its effect on impressionable adolescents. Several published, peer-reviewed studies have indicated that there is a link between exposure to sex in the media and the early onset of sexual activity among teens. However, a study led by Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg questions these findings.

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Today’s superheroes send wrong image to boys, say researchers

August 31, 2010 coms 0

Watching superheroes beat up villains may not be the best image for boys to see if society wants to promote kinder, less stereotypical male behaviors, according to psychologists who spoke Sunday at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

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Video Gaming Magazines Influence Muscularity Among Boys

August 30, 2010 coms 0

In a study to be published this summer in the journal Body Image, University of Illinois researchers discovered that exposure to video gaming magazines has a stronger influence on preadolescent boys’ drive for muscularity, or desire for muscle mass, than does exposure to magazines that depict a more realistic muscular male-body ideal.

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The Demise of American Muscle and the Few Who Want Its Return

July 26, 2010 coms 0

The 1980’s were the glory days of hypermasculinity. Stallone, Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, and their cohorts couldn’t wait to rip off their shirts to save the world. It was a time when you could settle an issue with an arm wrestle. But these days have long gone, and while a small number of steroid junkies still live for its revival, their efforts have landed American muscle in the background of reality television shows, like Jersey Shore, that are more of a punchline than a punch up hit.