Analysis of People’s Reactions on Twilight and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

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Gabriel and Young (2011) tested the hypothesis that experiencing a narrative may lead to feeling like you took on the identity being depicted. For example, those that watch Harry Potter psychologically become wizards just like those that watch any movie or show about vampires psychologically become a vampire.

This study used a correlational method because the researcher looked for associations among naturally occurring variables. Participants were 140 undergraduates (72 men, 68 women; 79% White; mean age was nineteen years. The main independent variable was the subjects passage to read from Harry Potter and the Twilight series. The independent variable displayed how the dependent variable was affected, which was the implicit and explicit score they received that showed the identity they take on. The dependent variable was measured by the test and what they may have answered.

The protocol was as follows: Participants were advised that the purpose of the study was to analyze people’s reactions to books and films. Next, participants read a passage from either Twilight (Meyer, 2005) or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling, 1999) with the suggestion they would read for their own enjoyment. Participants advanced to the next part of the experiment when they finished the assigned passage or when thirty min had elapsed, participants read 25.5 min on average. They performed an identification Implicit Association Test. After the respondents had finished reading, the scores from which became our key dependent variable. Participants were told in one crucial frame to categorize the terms ‘me’ (myself, mine) and ‘wizard’ (wall, broomstick, spells, potions) using the same answer key and to categorize the words ‘not me’ (they, theirs). Both pairings have been inverted in the other essential frame. They then provided an implicit indicator of collective assimilation, which they termed the collective assimilation level of Twilight / Harry Potter. Embedded between filler questions are three items designed to measure the collective assimilation of Twilight vampires (‘How far would you think you can climb compared to the average person is an example.

The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis. The suggested theory of collective assimilation was confirmed by evidence for both explicit and implicit measures; respondents reading the Harry Potter chapters were identified with witches, while those reading the Twilight section were associated with vampires. In contrast, the results are moderated by the degree to which respondents appeared to meet their needs for belonging by collectives for both measurements. This observation confirms the claim that collective assimilation is linked to the desire to belong to a group.

Critique:

Overall, this examination was all around structured. The given theory that experiencing a narrative may lead to associations to vampires and wizards was confirmed. The strategy for utilizing various articles to actuate a given reaction is fundamentally effective. In order to view if this study was indeed valid or reliable, we must first know what these two words mean. Validity means the degree to which the calculation of the test instrument was supposed to be calculated. Reliability relates to the degree to which scale performs reliably if multiple measurements are conducted. I believe the study is reliable and valid because no other factors, like interpersonal self-constructive, were important moderators of the book reading impact on the direct scale, and the association between mutual story assimilation and life satisfaction remained relevant once mood was introduced into the equation, and the Sobel test was not significant. It was tested multiple times with different participants.

There is one major problem that should have been discussed. The population used in this study is generally not a good individual portrayal, because it includes people that are undergraduates and only of one race. People of different race and people of different ages may be able to respond to the assessment differently. Adults are often considered more in touch with their reality and do not have the same imagination as those that are younger in age. Along the same line as the previous issue, a follow-up study could more carefully look at the effect between what people read and how they feel or depict themselves afterwards. I believe it would include those of all ages to truly see the results. The results were stronger than they claim because it does not only focus on the narrative collective assimilation, but it also showed results in ones life satisfaction. I believe the authors could have gone more into that aspect of the study.

Brief summary

Gabriel and Young (2011) tested the hypothesis that experiencing a narrative may lead to feeling like you took on the identity being depicted. For example, those that watch Harry Potter psychologically become wizards just like those that watch any movie or show about vampires psychologically become a vampire. This study used a correlational because the researcher looked for associations among naturally occurring variables. Participants were 72 men and 68 women with a mean age of nineteen. The main independent variable was the subjects passage to read from and the passage read from Twilight. Harry Potter. The independent variable displayed how the dependent variable was affected, which was the implicit and explicit score they received that showed the identity they take on. The method was as follows: Participants were advised to read a passage from either Twilight (Meyer, 2005) or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling, 1999) They performed an identification Implicit Association Test. After the respondents had finished reading, the scores from which became the key dependent variable. The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis. The suggested theory of collective assimilation was confirmed by evidence for both explicit and implicit measures.

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