Using Popular Media to Change Attitudes and Bolster Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder

Stern, Stephanie

Using Popular Media to Change Attitudes and Bolster Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder

dc.contributor.advisor	Barnes, Jennifer
dc.contributor.author	Stern, Stephanie
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Carvallo, Mauricio
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Leshner, Glenn
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Mayeux, Lara
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Cavazos, Jenel
dc.date.accessioned	2020-05-01T16:07:18Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-01T16:07:18Z
dc.date.issued	2020-05
dc.date.manuscript	2020-04-27
dc.description.abstract	Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become a common topic in popular fiction, with many books, movies, and television shows featuring characters with autism. As such, consumers of popular fiction are being exposed to information about ASD and are given the opportunity to interact with these characters. However, with the exception of one study that found a positive impact of watching a popular television show about ASD (Stern & Barnes, 2019), research has yet to investigate the impact these depictions have on consumers’ knowledge about ASD and attitudes towards individuals on the spectrum. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact popular novels have on knowledge about and attitudes towards ASD, compared to that of traditional college textbooks. Studies 1 and 2 expanded the work of Stern and Barnes (2019) by looking at popular novels featuring main characters with ASD who, in contrast to prior research, were not savants. Study 3 used a pre-/post-test design and modified novel and textbook excerpts that were designed to communicate the same information about ASD, in order to assess for the degree of learning and attitude change that occurs when the same information is being taught through two different types of reading material. In line with prior research, Study 1 found no difference in the number of correct behaviors identified by participants, while participants in the novel condition selected fewer incorrect answers. Participants in the novel condition also showed more positive attitudes towards individuals with ASD. Using an alternative assessment of knowledge and attitudes, Study 2 found that participants in the novel condition chose fewer correct and fewer incorrect responses to questions about ASD, instead reporting that they did not know the answer more often than participants in the textbook condition. Participants did not differ in their desired social distance from individuals with ASD. Using a pre-/post-test design, Study 3 found that participants in the novel and textbook conditions both showed the same amount of learning, with higher scores on the post-test assessment of knowledge than the pre-test. Participants in the novel condition showed significant improvement in their attitudes towards individual with ASD after reading, while those in the textbook condition showed more negative attitudes after reading the textbook chapter.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/11244/324160
dc.language	en	en_US
dc.subject	Autism	en_US
dc.subject	Fiction	en_US
dc.subject	Education	en_US
dc.subject	Attitudes	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Autism spectrum disorders
dc.subject.lcsh	Mass media
dc.thesis.degree	Ph.D.	en_US
dc.title	Using Popular Media to Change Attitudes and Bolster Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder	en_US
ou.group	College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Psychology	en_US