Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-53).

The depiction of gender in advertising is a topic of continuous discussion and research. The present study adds to past findings with an updated look at how men are represented in U.S. advertising media and the real effects these portrayals have on the male population under the theoretical framework of hegemony and social cognitive theory. This research is triangulated with a textual analysis of the ads found in the March 2013 editions of four popular print publications and three focus group sessions separated by sex (two all-male, one all-female), each of which is composed of a racially diverse group of undergraduate journalism and communications students from a large Southwestern university. The results of the textual analysis reveal little ethnic or physical diversity among male figures in advertising and distinguish six main profiles of masculinity, the most frequent of which is described as the "sophisticated man." The focus groups identify depictions of extreme muscularity and stereotypical male incompetence as the most negative representations, while humorous and hyperbolic portrayals of sexual prowess and hyper-masculinity are viewed positively as effective means of marketing to men.

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This thesis examines the state of media literacy in the middle school curriculum of Virginia's public schools. Through in-depth interviews with state certified teachers of English and Language Arts, the goal was to uncover student, teacher, resource, family, classroom, school, and other structural variables that influence media literacy among students at the middle school level, while also uncovering teachers' perception of the Standards of Learning (SOLs) and the benchmarks for media literacy that are contained within those state directives. An additional purpose of this thesis is to contribute to theory building efforts so that media literacy education is better understood in academic literature, in higher education, and in K-12 curriculum. / Master of Arts

Previous research has shown that individuals who are more religious use alcohol less than those who are less religious. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between various dimensions of religion and alcohol use, including an examination of the potential mediating role of social cognitive constructs in that relationship. It was hypothesized that: 1) Individuals who were more religious would drink alcohol less often, consume fewer drinks per drinking day, and experience fewer alcohol-related problems than those who were less religious. 2) Individuals who utilized more self-regulatory strategies, had higher self-efficacy, had less positive and more negative expectancies of alcohol use, and had standards of more moderate alcohol use would report less frequent alcohol use, fewer drinks per drinking day, and fewer alcohol-related problems. 3) Individuals who reported greater religiosity would utilize drinking self-regulatory strategies more frequently, have higher self-efficacy for avoiding heavy alcohol use, have less positive and more negative outcome expectancies regarding alcohol use, and have standards of more moderate alcohol use. 4) The relationships between the dimensions of religiosity and the alcohol use indices would be mediated by the social cognitive constructs. Three hundred and thirty-four college students completed a number of self-report questionnaires assessing alcohol use, religiosity dimensions, and social cognitive constructs. Results were consistent with, and expanded upon, previous research by demonstrating that various dimensions of religiosity were inversely related to, and also multivariate predictors of, the quantity and frequency of alcohol use and the experience of alcohol-related problems in a sample of college students. Findings further suggested that this relationship was completely mediated by several social cognitive constructs including self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, internal standards regarding alcohol use, and the use of self-regulatory strategies. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Ph. D.

College students drink at high rates. More than 80% of college students drink alcohol and about 40% engage in occasions of heavy drinking. Heavy episodic drinking among college students is associated with multiple negative consequences, such as verbal confrontations, physical fights, unprotected sex, vandalism, and driving while under the influence. Goals constitute a broad cognitive context in which behaviors occur. As an established technology for studying goal constructs, personal projects (Little, 1983; 1989; 1998) assess both long-term and short-term goals, as well perceptions about the goals assessed. Aided by the assessment of personal projects, the present study examined the ability of goal constructs to explain variability in drinking among college students within an integrated social cognitive theory model. In prospective analyses, results indicated that alcohol self-efficacy, negative outcome expectancies, and drinking self-regulation strategies were shown to be significant predictors of drinking. In addition, the goal attribute variables of Involvement and Efficacy, incongruence, and avoidance accounted for unique variance in drinking after controlling for gender, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies and drinking self-regulation. Results add to the understanding of motivational forces potentially important to drinking decisions, highlighting the contributions of goal variables. / Ph. D.

This study tested an integrated social cognitive model of physical activity intention formation, onset, and maintenance among sedentary participants (N = 465) in a church-based, social cognitive, physical activity intervention. Three separate models were tested via structural equation modeling. Each model provided a good fit to the data. The models explained 28%, 19%, and 9% of the variance in intention formation, physical activity onset, and physical activity maintenance, respectively. Consistent with hypotheses, self-efficacy mediated the effect of positive outcome expectancy on behavioral intention, adoption of behavioral strategies mediated the effect of the intervention on physical activity onset, and maintenance of self-efficacy mediated the effect of the intervention on physical activity maintenance. Contrary to hypotheses, change in self-efficacy from baseline to post-assessment and perceived satisfaction with intervention outcomes did not have effects on physical activity onset or maintenance. The findings provide preliminary evidence that physical activity intention formation, onset, and maintenance are distinct processes driven by different determinants before, during, and following a social cognitive physical activity intervention. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this project was to augment self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulatory skills for women with breast cancer through a quality of life intervention based on Social Cognitive Theory. Relationships between social cognitive variables, positive coping behaviors, and quality of life were explored. The intervention was conducted in collaboration with an established cancer treatment center and provided information, guided feedback, and mastery experiences in a supportive environment for breast cancer survivors. A total of 32 women were enrolled and randomized to either the 8-week intervention or standard-care. With a final n of 14, the lack of statistical power made it difficult to determine whether differences existed between the two groups. Data trends suggested that some women benefited from the program. Implications for the content and delivery of future psychosocial interventions with cancer patients were discussed. / Ph. D.

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is essential to the smooth functioning of organizations. A vast amount of research examining OCB has established the benefits of such behavior to businesses. In addition, individual- and organizational-level antecedents of citizenship behavior have been widely studied and well established. However, a sound assessment of OCB, which acknowledges the true social cognitive nature of the phenomenon, is yet to be developed. The purpose of this study is two-fold: First, this study seeks to develop a reliable, accurate measure of OCB. Second, this study utilizes the newly developed measure to determine how personal characteristics and situational influences interact to produce helping behavior. More specifically, this study explores how equity sensitivity, locus of control, self-esteem, and affectivity determine whether an employee engages in helping behavior. Further, the current study examines whether situation cue strength moderates the relationship between the aforementioned personality characteristics and an employee's decision to engage in helping behavior. / Master of Science