Kaitlin Fitzgerald
Biographic Data
| ID | 208852 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kaitlin Fitzgerald |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kaitlin |
| FAMILY NAME | Fitzgerald |
| SIGNATURE | FITZGERALD K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Cornell University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4491-1768 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Adolescents’ Sexualized Self-Presentations on Social Media: A Cross-National Data Donation Study
Scholars, educators, and policymakers have expressed concerns about the sexualization of youth in popular social media platforms. Yet little is known about the prevalence of sexualized content on social media and who is most likely to post it. This study considers adolescents in three European countries (i.e. 115 Belgium, 134 France, and 118 Slovenia; Mage = 16.40, SD = 1.60, 62.10% girls) who donated their most recent posts, profile picture, and…
Analyzing adolescents’ Social Media Posts: Insights from Data Donations in Three European Countries
This study explores the nature of adolescents’ posts on social media using a data donation approach within three different European countries. Adolescents (NBelgium = 106, NFrance = 118, NSlovenia = 114) donated screenshots from their most recent posts/stories on Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. The various themes present in the visuals of the screenshots were coded, and data were linked to survey measures to explore individual differences. The r…
A Scoping Review of Prosocial and Antisocial Media Content and Effects in Narrative Entertainment Research Across Five Decades
Despite the popularity of investigations into prosocial and antisocial media content and effects in entertainment research, the essence and boundary conditions of these terms are not well-demarcated. In a preregistered scoping review, we explored how prosocial and antisocial have been defined in narrative entertainment literature according to a comprehensive scheme of moral values outlined by the model of intuitive-morality and exemplars (MIME). …
Gendered Social Media Content Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: Findings From a Data Donation Linkage Study on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat
The Effects of Side-Taking on Narrative Entertainment and the Perceptions of Events and Characters
Media psychologists commonly study how narrative elements (e.g. characters) influence entertainment and perceptions. Research on the sequencing and structure of these elements (i.e. metanarrative; the shape of the story) is less common. In both areas, morality tends to ground theorizing (e.g. disposition theory). To extend knowledge in these domains, we conceptualize and observe the effects of side-taking (i.e. choosing a side during conflict), a…
A comprehensive experimental test of the affective disposition theory of drama
Using a three-act written narrative, a preregistered 2 (Act 1 Moral/Immoral Character Behavior) × 2 (Act 3 Moral/Immoral Character Behavior) × 2 (Positive/Negative Narrative Outcome) study provides a comprehensive test of affective disposition theory (ADT) that simultaneously manipulates disposition formation and outcome evaluation processes. We convert ADT’s conceptual hypotheses into testable path models. Consistent with theory, we find (a) mor…
Character Individuation and Disposition Formation: An Experimental Exploration
Individuation is the process by which humans form their perceptions about others based on a variety of unique attributes of the person. Psychological research finds that personal details can individuate a person, especially when they are perceived as atypical for the social category. We apply this logic to affective disposition theory to determine whether character individuation can influence disposition formation. Two pilot studies validated the…
The Emotional Flow Scale: Validating a Measure of Dynamic Emotional Experiences in Message Reception
The dynamics of the emotional experience during message consumption, referred to as emotional flow, is hypothesized to be an important and influential element of message reception processes. In this article, we propose and validate a scale for measuring self-reported experiences of emotional flow following exposure to a message. Items were derived from Nabi and Green’s initial theorizing and the final 6-item measurement model demonstrated good fi…
I spy with my little eye: An eye-tracking study examining adolescents’ attention to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Instagram stories
Stories for Good: Transportation into Narrative Worlds
Narratives and literary works have delighted and enchanted audiences for centuries. This chapter explores how stepping into a narrative world can contribute to human flourishing. Engaging in stories can provide an escape from the mundane into a realm where one can safely discover new and otherwise inaccessible experiences; stories can also help create meaning and provide a framework for interpreting events in one’s world. The authors review resea…
Entertainment and social media use during social distancing: Examining trait differences in transportability and need for social assurance
Humor and poignancy: Exploring narrative pathways to face death and bereavement
Themes of death and grief emerge in media entertainment in ways that are both poignant and humorous. In this experimental study, we extend research on eudaimonic narratives about death to consider those that are hedonic. Participants read a story about a woman giving a eulogy for her friend that was manipulated to be either poignant-focused or humor-focused, and answered questions about their responses to the story, feelings of connectedness with…
Character Gender and Disposition Formation in Narratives: The Role of Competing Schema
How viewers form dispositions toward narrative characters is a central question of affective disposition theory. Two routes are explained by current models: Schema activation, whereby viewers’ dispositions are based on perceived narrative role, and behavioral approbation, whereby viewers’ dispositions are based on moral approval/disapproval of behavior. What remains unclear is how competing character schemas function: Do they exert their influenc…
Validating a Set of Retribution Narratives for Use in Media Psychology Research
Witnessing characters enact and receive punishment for transgressions – that is, narrative retribution – is central to affective disposition theory. Despite its centrality, a standardized set of retribution narratives is absent from the literature. The current study seeks to provide validation evidence for a set of retribution narratives used in a previous study. Based on theoretical conceptualizations of narrative retribution, we examined the va…
Framing Inspirational Content: Narrative Effects on Attributions and Helping
Media coverage often construes stories of misfortune as inspirational accounts of individuals overcoming challenges. These reports fail to address the systemic issues that have predisposed these individuals to their current situation, and may have unintended consequences when it comes to the ability to collectively address these failings as a society. Participants ( N = 495) were randomly assigned to 1) read an inspirational story about a boy sav…
Inspired to Adopt: The Role of Social Norms in Media Inspiration
We consider the potential for inspirational media content (inspiring videos about dogs) and injunctive norms (social media comments on the videos) to motivate dog adoption behaviors and intentions. In an online experiment, participants were exposed to pretested inspiring (or non-inspiring) videos and social norms cues and were given an opportunity to browse among a series of dogs on a mock adoption website. Participants also indicated their inten…
Do Audiences Judge the Morality of Characters Relativistically? How Interdependence Affects Perceptions of Characters’ Temporal Moral Descent
In two pre-registered studies, we leveraged recent advances to disposition theory to examine whether character judgments are relative. We used a Pilot Study to develop a moral continuum of behaviors for a hypothetical television series. We referenced our established moral continuum to create behavioral sequences that represented two characters descending into immorality. We manipulated whether one or both characters were present in the narrative.…
Interdependence of Narrative Characters: Implications for Media Theories
Affective disposition theory suggests that viewers of narratives develop dispositions toward characters through various cues, including appearance and behavior. Despite its predictive utility, the theory has yet to account for an essential component of narratives: character interdependence. Extant models treat disposition formation toward individual characters as an independent process. In the current paper, we posit that affective dispositions f…
Memorable, Meaningful, Pleasurable: An Exploratory Examination of Narrative Character Deaths
The current manuscript presents a study that examines contextual factors that can explain two distinct types of viewer responses to death in narratives. Using procedures developed in past research, we explore why some narrative character deaths elicit poignant, eudaimonic responses while others elicit joyful, hedonic responses. We incorporate a control group to examine whether freely-recalled memorable deaths are more closely associated with feel…
Restorative Narratives
Restorative narratives are stories that highlight how people recover from adversity. Researchers have proposed that this storytelling approach may provide a way to share negative news without emotionally overwhelming audiences. Instead, restorative narratives may decrease the need for emotion regulation processes and as a result, increase the willingness to help those in need. In Study 1, a restorative narrative elicited more positive emotions an…
The Effect of Gender on Attributions for Women’s Anxiety and Doubt in a Science Narrative
Although the effect of biases and stereotype threat on women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is well documented, less is known about how men and women attribute an undergraduate woman’s anxieties in a STEM class. We examined how undergraduate men and women perceive a woman facing emotional struggles in a physics class (Study 1, N = 309; Study 2, N = 271) and having her contributions ignored in an environmental science …
Graphic Violence as Moral Motivator: The Effects of Graphically Violent Content in News
Common wisdom holds that graphic media violence leads to antisocial outcomes. This common wisdom is reflected in the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. However, theory and research regarding moral emotions’ ability to increase moral sensitivity suggests that this type of negative content may be capable of yielding prosocial responses. This article describes this logic and tests its predictions in two experimental studies utiliz…
Restorative Narratives
Restorative narratives are stories that highlight how people recover from adversity. Researchers have proposed that this storytelling approach may provide a way to share negative news without emotionally overwhelming audiences. Instead, restorative narratives may decrease the need for emotion regulation processes and as a result, increase the willingness to help those in need. In Study 1, a restorative narrative elicited more positive emotions an…
Graphic Violence as Moral Motivator: The Effects of Graphically Violent Content in News
Common wisdom holds that graphic media violence leads to antisocial outcomes. This common wisdom is reflected in the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. However, theory and research regarding moral emotions’ ability to increase moral sensitivity suggests that this type of negative content may be capable of yielding prosocial responses. This article describes this logic and tests its predictions in two experimental studies utiliz…
I spy with my little eye: An eye-tracking study examining adolescents’ attention to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Instagram stories
Graphic Violence as Moral Motivator: The Effects of Graphically Violent Content in News
Common wisdom holds that graphic media violence leads to antisocial outcomes. This common wisdom is reflected in the Society for Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. However, theory and research regarding moral emotions’ ability to increase moral sensitivity suggests that this type of negative content may be capable of yielding prosocial responses. This article describes this logic and tests its predictions in two experimental studies utiliz…
The Effect of Gender on Attributions for Women’s Anxiety and Doubt in a Science Narrative
Although the effect of biases and stereotype threat on women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is well documented, less is known about how men and women attribute an undergraduate woman’s anxieties in a STEM class. We examined how undergraduate men and women perceive a woman facing emotional struggles in a physics class (Study 1, N = 309; Study 2, N = 271) and having her contributions ignored in an environmental science …
Interdependence of Narrative Characters: Implications for Media Theories
Affective disposition theory suggests that viewers of narratives develop dispositions toward characters through various cues, including appearance and behavior. Despite its predictive utility, the theory has yet to account for an essential component of narratives: character interdependence. Extant models treat disposition formation toward individual characters as an independent process. In the current paper, we posit that affective dispositions f…
Memorable, Meaningful, Pleasurable: An Exploratory Examination of Narrative Character Deaths
The current manuscript presents a study that examines contextual factors that can explain two distinct types of viewer responses to death in narratives. Using procedures developed in past research, we explore why some narrative character deaths elicit poignant, eudaimonic responses while others elicit joyful, hedonic responses. We incorporate a control group to examine whether freely-recalled memorable deaths are more closely associated with feel…
Restorative Narratives
Restorative narratives are stories that highlight how people recover from adversity. Researchers have proposed that this storytelling approach may provide a way to share negative news without emotionally overwhelming audiences. Instead, restorative narratives may decrease the need for emotion regulation processes and as a result, increase the willingness to help those in need. In Study 1, a restorative narrative elicited more positive emotions an…
Validating a Set of Retribution Narratives for Use in Media Psychology Research
Witnessing characters enact and receive punishment for transgressions – that is, narrative retribution – is central to affective disposition theory. Despite its centrality, a standardized set of retribution narratives is absent from the literature. The current study seeks to provide validation evidence for a set of retribution narratives used in a previous study. Based on theoretical conceptualizations of narrative retribution, we examined the va…
Framing Inspirational Content: Narrative Effects on Attributions and Helping
Media coverage often construes stories of misfortune as inspirational accounts of individuals overcoming challenges. These reports fail to address the systemic issues that have predisposed these individuals to their current situation, and may have unintended consequences when it comes to the ability to collectively address these failings as a society. Participants ( N = 495) were randomly assigned to 1) read an inspirational story about a boy sav…
Inspired to Adopt: The Role of Social Norms in Media Inspiration
We consider the potential for inspirational media content (inspiring videos about dogs) and injunctive norms (social media comments on the videos) to motivate dog adoption behaviors and intentions. In an online experiment, participants were exposed to pretested inspiring (or non-inspiring) videos and social norms cues and were given an opportunity to browse among a series of dogs on a mock adoption website. Participants also indicated their inten…
Do Audiences Judge the Morality of Characters Relativistically? How Interdependence Affects Perceptions of Characters’ Temporal Moral Descent
In two pre-registered studies, we leveraged recent advances to disposition theory to examine whether character judgments are relative. We used a Pilot Study to develop a moral continuum of behaviors for a hypothetical television series. We referenced our established moral continuum to create behavioral sequences that represented two characters descending into immorality. We manipulated whether one or both characters were present in the narrative.…
Stories for Good: Transportation into Narrative Worlds
Narratives and literary works have delighted and enchanted audiences for centuries. This chapter explores how stepping into a narrative world can contribute to human flourishing. Engaging in stories can provide an escape from the mundane into a realm where one can safely discover new and otherwise inaccessible experiences; stories can also help create meaning and provide a framework for interpreting events in one’s world. The authors review resea…
Entertainment and social media use during social distancing: Examining trait differences in transportability and need for social assurance
Humor and poignancy: Exploring narrative pathways to face death and bereavement
Themes of death and grief emerge in media entertainment in ways that are both poignant and humorous. In this experimental study, we extend research on eudaimonic narratives about death to consider those that are hedonic. Participants read a story about a woman giving a eulogy for her friend that was manipulated to be either poignant-focused or humor-focused, and answered questions about their responses to the story, feelings of connectedness with…
Character Gender and Disposition Formation in Narratives: The Role of Competing Schema
How viewers form dispositions toward narrative characters is a central question of affective disposition theory. Two routes are explained by current models: Schema activation, whereby viewers’ dispositions are based on perceived narrative role, and behavioral approbation, whereby viewers’ dispositions are based on moral approval/disapproval of behavior. What remains unclear is how competing character schemas function: Do they exert their influenc…
A comprehensive experimental test of the affective disposition theory of drama
Using a three-act written narrative, a preregistered 2 (Act 1 Moral/Immoral Character Behavior) × 2 (Act 3 Moral/Immoral Character Behavior) × 2 (Positive/Negative Narrative Outcome) study provides a comprehensive test of affective disposition theory (ADT) that simultaneously manipulates disposition formation and outcome evaluation processes. We convert ADT’s conceptual hypotheses into testable path models. Consistent with theory, we find (a) mor…
Character Individuation and Disposition Formation: An Experimental Exploration
Individuation is the process by which humans form their perceptions about others based on a variety of unique attributes of the person. Psychological research finds that personal details can individuate a person, especially when they are perceived as atypical for the social category. We apply this logic to affective disposition theory to determine whether character individuation can influence disposition formation. Two pilot studies validated the…
The Emotional Flow Scale: Validating a Measure of Dynamic Emotional Experiences in Message Reception
The dynamics of the emotional experience during message consumption, referred to as emotional flow, is hypothesized to be an important and influential element of message reception processes. In this article, we propose and validate a scale for measuring self-reported experiences of emotional flow following exposure to a message. Items were derived from Nabi and Green’s initial theorizing and the final 6-item measurement model demonstrated good fi…
I spy with my little eye: An eye-tracking study examining adolescents’ attention to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Instagram stories
The Effects of Side-Taking on Narrative Entertainment and the Perceptions of Events and Characters
Media psychologists commonly study how narrative elements (e.g. characters) influence entertainment and perceptions. Research on the sequencing and structure of these elements (i.e. metanarrative; the shape of the story) is less common. In both areas, morality tends to ground theorizing (e.g. disposition theory). To extend knowledge in these domains, we conceptualize and observe the effects of side-taking (i.e. choosing a side during conflict), a…
A Scoping Review of Prosocial and Antisocial Media Content and Effects in Narrative Entertainment Research Across Five Decades
Despite the popularity of investigations into prosocial and antisocial media content and effects in entertainment research, the essence and boundary conditions of these terms are not well-demarcated. In a preregistered scoping review, we explored how prosocial and antisocial have been defined in narrative entertainment literature according to a comprehensive scheme of moral values outlined by the model of intuitive-morality and exemplars (MIME). …
Gendered Social Media Content Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: Findings From a Data Donation Linkage Study on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat
Adolescents’ Sexualized Self-Presentations on Social Media: A Cross-National Data Donation Study
Scholars, educators, and policymakers have expressed concerns about the sexualization of youth in popular social media platforms. Yet little is known about the prevalence of sexualized content on social media and who is most likely to post it. This study considers adolescents in three European countries (i.e. 115 Belgium, 134 France, and 118 Slovenia; Mage = 16.40, SD = 1.60, 62.10% girls) who donated their most recent posts, profile picture, and…
Analyzing adolescents’ Social Media Posts: Insights from Data Donations in Three European Countries
This study explores the nature of adolescents’ posts on social media using a data donation approach within three different European countries. Adolescents (NBelgium = 106, NFrance = 118, NSlovenia = 114) donated screenshots from their most recent posts/stories on Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. The various themes present in the visuals of the screenshots were coded, and data were linked to survey measures to explore individual differences. The r…
Psychology (19 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Media Influence and Health (17 works) · Narrative (14 works) · Developmental psychology (7 works) · Art (6 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Impact of Technology on Adolescents (6 works) · Media, Gender, and Advertising (6 works) · Social media (6 works)