Tag: COMM 430 Fall 20

Vocalic qualities of Disney villains

Animated Disney movies often try to remove the idea of race and bias from their character choices, but what about movies in which there are no human or live-action characters?  The following study explores whether the choices made by actors and directors show implicit bias against African American males through vocalics in nonhuman, animated Disney characters.  Researchers chose eleven Disney movies in which there were no human characters and analyzed the vocalics. Researchers measured pitch, rate of speech, and volume. The results were compared to past research in order to determine whether or not the vocalic qualities matched male African American speech.  The results were inconclusive as to whether implicit bias plays a role in vocalic choices made for Disney villains. However, the results determined that villains take on many vocalic characteristics of men and do not follow the average American vernacular speech.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

1:30 – 2 PM

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A Study on the Relation Between Model’s Postures and Dominance

Despite the prevalence of social science research on gender differences in dominance-submission cues, the topic remains understudied in the field of communication. In particular, there is very little research analyzing static images of men and women. Studies of communication through other media have supported the idea that depictions of men and women, even in recent years, are often presented in a stereotypical manner. The present study endeavored to examine differences in dominance-submission behavior according to gender in online magazine images. The hypothesis was that the images would depict men and women in a manner that is consistent with traditional gender roles. The hypothesis was tested via a content analysis of 66 images of men and women collected from two magazine websites. The data was then analyzed and interpreted through a measurement created by the researchers. The data showed support for the hypothesis. The implications of these findings and their potential impact on future research are discussed.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

1:30 – 2 PM

View stream here

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