Unsung Heroes: Exploring Activation of Heroic, Villainous, and Neutral Character Schema

• In Event: Media Violence, Agression, and Suspense

Abstract

This 3-study paper examines the role of character-schema activation in the process of disposition formation. Studies 1 and 2 replicate initial studies (AUTHOR)—in which we were able to activate heroic and villainous perceptions of characters based purely on appearance—and extend this research to examine the potential that heroic schema is more difficult to activate than villainous schema. Study 3 further extends these findings by introducing a neutral character. Results revealed a successful activation of hero schema. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Jialing Huang, U at Buffalo, SUNY

• Kaitlin Fitzgerald, U at Buffalo, SUNY

• Changhyun Ahn, U at Buffalo, SUNY

• Haoran Chu, U of Buffalo

• Matthew N Grizzard, U at Buffalo - SUNY