Table Of ContentHow Fantasy Becomes Reality: Seeing Through
Media Influence
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How Fantasy
Becomes Reality:
Seeing Through
Media Influence
KAREN E. DILL
1
2009
1
OxfordUniversityPress,Inc.,publishesworksthatfurther
OxfordUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellence
inresearch,scholarship,andeducation.
Oxford NewYork
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Withofficesin
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SouthKorea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright(cid:2)2009byOxfordUniversityPress,Inc.
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electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,
withoutthepriorpermissionofOxfordUniversityPress.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Dill,KarenE.
Howfantasybecomesreality:seeingthroughmediainfluence/KarenE.Dill.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-19-537208-3
1. Massmedia—Socialaspects. 2. Massmedia—Psychologicalaspects. 3. Social
psychology. I. Title.
HM1206.D552009
302.23—dc22
2008052692
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
To Jay, Jason, and Regan, the brightest stars in my universe.
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Acknowledgments
ThisbookwouldnotexistwithoutLoriHandelman,myeditoratOxford
UniversityPress.Everyacademicwantstowriteabook—someday,asIdid.
Ihadnoplanstowriteonenow.ButLoriaskedmeandbeforeIknewit,this
projectcametolife.Sheencouragedmeandsharedinmyjoyateveryturn.I
rememberwellthatexcitingmorning,wakingupinahotelinSouthKorea
toane-mailfromLoritellingmemybookproposalhadbeenenthusiasti-
cally accepted. Lori, your grace and energy are inextricably bound to this
book.Warmthankstoyou,myeditorandfriend.Thanksalsotothemany
othersatOxfordwhomadethisprojectsuccessful.
AspecialthankyougoestoBradBushman.Bradwasoneofmyoriginal
threepeerreviewersonthebookproposalandalsowaspeerreviewerforthe
completebook.Hisenthusiasmfortheproject,andhispromisetousemy
bookforhismediaeffectscourseattheUniversityofMichiganhelpedme
craftabookthatIhopedwouldbeathomebothintheclassroomandwitha
broadergeneralaudience.Brad,Ihavealwayslovedyourresearch.Ifeelso
fortunatetohavehadthebenefitofyourexpertiseonmyfirstbookandI
willneverforgetthehelpandencouragementyougaveme.
Icouldn’thavewrittenthisbookwithoutthesupportofmycolleaguesin
mediapsychology;youhavetobethebestcolleaguesinthewholewideworld.
Ican’tpossiblynamethemallhere,butIwanttoatleastmentionafew.
ToCraigAnderson,mymentorandfriendthesepasttwentyyears.You
showedmewhatitmeanstobeasocialpsychologist.Formodelingexcel-
lence,forgivingmegreatopportunities,andforallyourcontributionsasa
scholartothemediapsychologyliterature,manythanks.
To Russ Geen, a mentor and friend to me since graduate school. Your
influence on me has been truly important. You are with me whenever I
teach the history of psychology. Your intellect, wisdom, and kindness are
someofthemanythingsthatmakemesofondofyou.
To Dorothy Singer, for seeing something in me that I did not yet see.
Your support is invaluable to me, as is your kind friendship. To Jeanne
(Funk)Brockmyer,thebestroommateinallBudapest!Ingraduateschool
whenIwascitingyourwork,IneverdreamedI’dbothcollaboratewithyou
andcallyouagoodfriend.Warmthanks,Jeanne,foreverything.
viii acknowledgments
ThankstoDaveWalsh,oneofthepeerreviewersonthebookproposal.
Youareoneoftherareoneswhocombineexcellentsciencewithexcellent
communication—justwhatImeantwhenIdiscussedgreatscientificcom-
munication in the final chapter of the book. And to an anonymous peer
reviewer whose insightful comments and suggestions encouraged me to
takethisbooktoanotherlevel.Youareaninspiration!
To my closest research collaborators: Melinda and Stephen Burgess,
Carlo Fabricatore and Ximena Lopez, and again to Jeanne (Funk)
Brockmyer. You all bring happiness and inspiration to my life both as
friendsandascolleagues.
TomyfriendsinChile,especially AnaMariaDelgadoMoralesandthe
staff at ENLANCES. The people of Chile and your country both are so
lovely.Ihopetomakemanymorevisitsandcontinuemyconnectionswith
Chileandtheministryofeducation.
ToFrancescPedroattheOrganizationforEconomic Cooperationand
Development in Paris. Thanks for all your work and for involving me in
yourexpertmeetingsbothinSouthKoreaandinChile.Can’twaitforthe
nextmeeting!
Tomyprofessorsandotherteacherswhomadeadifference inmylife.
ThankstotheaforementionedCraigAndersonandRussGeen,andalsoto
B. Ann Bettencourt, Alan Strathman, Tom DiLorenzo, Mary Heppner,
Nelson Cowan, Chuck Borduin, Doug Krull, Michael Robbins, Bill
Benoit, and Mike Stadler. Thanks to Bill Bondeson and Ted Tarkow, Jo
Pollack,JimChrist,RayAdams,SueMerkel,andAileenSmith.
Greatthankstothemanystudentswhohaveinspiredmeovertheyears
andmademyjobasaprofessorthehappyexperienceitis.Specialthanksto
thosestudentswhohavecollaboratedcloselywithmeonresearch:Kathryn
PhillipsThill,BrianP.Brown,MichaelCollins,JessicaRowe,MatthewM.
Smith,andJacobBlackstock.Alsotothosewhoweregradstudentswithme,
especially Kathryn Anderson, Deb Hume, Jim Lindsay, Bruce Bartholow,
Darrin Erickson, Nancy Dorr, and Michelle Sherman. Kathryn, you were
myfirstfemalerolemodelinsocialpsychologyandIhavealwayslookedup
toyou.Imissyou.Nancy,youandMaryHeppnerhelpedmelearnhowto
beateacherandIamgratefulforthat.
WarmthankstomycolleaguesandfriendsatLenoir-RhyneUniversity
and in North Carolina, especially Kathy Ivey, Dale and Jean Bailey, Gail
Summer, Gary Broyhill, Jennifer Heller, BrandonLee (thanks for inspira-
tiononpoliticalcomedy,BrandonandJen),LisaMiller,JaneEverson,and
LizaShaw.WarmthankstoBethWrightandallmycolleaguesonthethird
floor,andtoDavidLudwig,BobSpuller,LowellAshman,andLarryYoder.
acknowledgments ix
Therearesomanymorewhoaretoonumeroustoname,butthankyouall
foryoursupportandfriendship.
Withlovetomywholebig,huge,enormousfamily,mostofwhomreside
inSt.Louis,Missouri.Specialthankstomyparents—Leo,Joan,andBob—
tomygrandparents,andtoChristineandBobJr.,butalsotoallmyaunts,
uncles,cousins,andmygoodfriendsMarikoTadaandDiannePrewitt.
Majorloveandthankstomyfavoritepeopleintheworld:myhusband
Jay,andmychildren,JasonandRegan.Jay,noonecanmakemelaughlike
you do. You are the smartest, funniest, quirkiest husband ever and I love
you!ToJason,whowassevenwhenIstartedwritingthisbook:youaremy
bright,outgoinglittlestar.Youhaveaspecialplaceinmyheart.ToRegan,
whowasthreewhenIstartedwriting:youarefunandquirkyinthebestway
like your dad. You are a sweetheart and you fill my heart with happiness.
Big,big,hugstoallofyou!
Finally, sincere thanks to all my readers. To quote Jason Mraz’s song
‘‘Wordplay,’’thankyoufortaking‘‘adiveintothedeependofmyhead.’’
KarenDill,December2008,NorthCarolina
Description:It's a common belief that the stories we encounter through mass media--whether in video games, action movies, or political comedy skits on Saturday Night Live--are just entertaining fantasies that have no tangible impact on our everyday lives, attitudes, and choices. Not so, says Karen Dill in this
