Search for other papers by Edward Schiappa in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
All currencies in US Dollar
Abstract
It is widely recognized that “representation matters” in entertainment media, but why? What do screen representations of different demographic groups, especially historically marginalized minority groups, accomplish that further the aims of diversity, equity, and inclusion? How might current theory in cognitive psychology contribute to the understanding of how film can contribute to the reduction of invidious prejudice? This article describes the past, present, and future of the parasocial contact hypothesis (PCH). I begin by identifying important antecedents of the PCH, including early film effects research and later studies on television's cultivation effects. Then, after briefly explicating the contact hypothesis, also known as intergroup contact theory, I explicate the core tenets of the PCH, describe some of the research that has emerged in support of the PCH, and end by suggesting ways in which future research can explore when and how film and other media can reduce prejudice.
Contributor Notes
Edward Schiappa holds the John E. Burchard Professorship of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is former Head of the Comparative Media Studies section. His books include Beyond Representation Correctness: Rethinking Criticism of Popular Media and, most recently, The Transgender Exigency: Defining Sex and Gender in the 21st Century. He conducts research in argumentation, persuasion, media influence, and rhetorical theory. He has served as editor of Argumentation and Advocacy, and he received the Douglas W. Ehninger Distinguished Rhetorical Scholar Award in 2000 and the Rhetorical and Communication Theory Distinguished Scholar Award in 2006. He was named a National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar in 2009.Email: schiappa@mit.edu