COMM 348 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE
Inspiration porn (Grue, 2016) - Answers - Representation of disability as desireable but
undesired, one person's biophysical deficit to be overcome physically
Why is inspiration porn bad? - Answers - Objectification, devaluation, and
individualization/mystification
Symbolic annihilation - Answers - Little media representation feels like erasure
Sexual objectification - Answers - Viewing a body as being most valued for its sex
appeal
Self-objectification - Answers - Internalizing the observer's perspective on the self
Representation of disability on TV - Answers - 0.4%, most were older males with canes
Charity model of disability - Answers - Organizing social events for non-disabled people,
which creates jobs for non-disabled people, and then giving disabled people who are
"deserving" what non-disabled people think they need
Administrative model of disability - Answers - Inventing tests to classify disabled people
by assumed inabilities, then judging the minimum level of benefits and services non-
disabled people think disabled people need to survive. Institutionalizing disabled people.
Medical model of disability - Answers - Disability is a personal tragedy and thriving is not
linked to privilege
Social model of disability - Answers - Fighting against prejudice, discrimination, and
disabling environments for disabled people. Also fighting for equal rights legislation and
better health and social care provision. Fighting to eliminate poverty, abuse, violence
and war which cause the majority of impairments.
Objectification - Answers - Viewing a person as an object instead of a subject
Devaluation - Answers - Inspiration porn leading to a smaller scope of achievement for
disabled people
Individualization/mystification - Answers - The systemic causes of disability and
solutions are obscured
Which disabilities have higher status? - Answers - Ones that are visible and responsive
to technology
, Supercrip model - Answers - Disabled people must have superhuman abilities (extreme
willpower, savantism) to make up for their disabilities
Social comparison theory - Answers - When no objective referent is available, we
evaluate ourselves to those whos' abilities are most similar to ours
Zhang & Haller (2013) summary - Answers - Survey, assessed what people with
disabilities (PWDs) think about media representation of PWDs. Found that positive
media portrayals led to affirmation of disability identity even when the representations
were unrealistic, and negative media portrayals led to denial of disability identity.
Positive self-identity - Answers - Where a person with a disability is able to downplay
the stigma attached to being disabled and maintains a positive self-image
Negative self-identity - Answers - Where a person with a disability is unable to accept
their impairments and suffers a negative self-image
Zhang & Haller predictor variables - Answers - The attention PWDs pay to mass media,
the valence (positive or negative) of portrayals of PWDs in the media, and the realism of
these portrayals
Zhang & Haller criterion variables - Answers - Positive self-identity (affirming) or
negative self-identity (denying)
Zhang & Haller theories, rationale and predictions - Answers - Expected perceived
negative portrayals (medical model and social pathology model) will lead to negative,
self-identity, but only when these portrayals are realistic. Expected perceived positive
portrayals (supercrip) will lead to positive stereotypes, but only when these portrayals
are realistic
Zhang & Haller sample - Answers - 390 people with disabilities between the ages of 18-
82
Zhang & Haller procedure - Answers - Survey, participants were emailed and asked
about their media use, how realistic they thought the media's portrayal of disabilities
was, the extent to which a disability was portrayed as dependent on health
professionals for cures (medical model), the extent to which PWDs were presented as
disadvantaged (social pathology model), the extent to which they believe PWDs were
presented as superhuman (Supercrip model), and their self-identity
Zhang & Haller what were participants told about the study's purpose? - Answers -
Participants were told about the survey's true purpose
Inspiration porn (Grue, 2016) - Answers - Representation of disability as desireable but
undesired, one person's biophysical deficit to be overcome physically
Why is inspiration porn bad? - Answers - Objectification, devaluation, and
individualization/mystification
Symbolic annihilation - Answers - Little media representation feels like erasure
Sexual objectification - Answers - Viewing a body as being most valued for its sex
appeal
Self-objectification - Answers - Internalizing the observer's perspective on the self
Representation of disability on TV - Answers - 0.4%, most were older males with canes
Charity model of disability - Answers - Organizing social events for non-disabled people,
which creates jobs for non-disabled people, and then giving disabled people who are
"deserving" what non-disabled people think they need
Administrative model of disability - Answers - Inventing tests to classify disabled people
by assumed inabilities, then judging the minimum level of benefits and services non-
disabled people think disabled people need to survive. Institutionalizing disabled people.
Medical model of disability - Answers - Disability is a personal tragedy and thriving is not
linked to privilege
Social model of disability - Answers - Fighting against prejudice, discrimination, and
disabling environments for disabled people. Also fighting for equal rights legislation and
better health and social care provision. Fighting to eliminate poverty, abuse, violence
and war which cause the majority of impairments.
Objectification - Answers - Viewing a person as an object instead of a subject
Devaluation - Answers - Inspiration porn leading to a smaller scope of achievement for
disabled people
Individualization/mystification - Answers - The systemic causes of disability and
solutions are obscured
Which disabilities have higher status? - Answers - Ones that are visible and responsive
to technology
, Supercrip model - Answers - Disabled people must have superhuman abilities (extreme
willpower, savantism) to make up for their disabilities
Social comparison theory - Answers - When no objective referent is available, we
evaluate ourselves to those whos' abilities are most similar to ours
Zhang & Haller (2013) summary - Answers - Survey, assessed what people with
disabilities (PWDs) think about media representation of PWDs. Found that positive
media portrayals led to affirmation of disability identity even when the representations
were unrealistic, and negative media portrayals led to denial of disability identity.
Positive self-identity - Answers - Where a person with a disability is able to downplay
the stigma attached to being disabled and maintains a positive self-image
Negative self-identity - Answers - Where a person with a disability is unable to accept
their impairments and suffers a negative self-image
Zhang & Haller predictor variables - Answers - The attention PWDs pay to mass media,
the valence (positive or negative) of portrayals of PWDs in the media, and the realism of
these portrayals
Zhang & Haller criterion variables - Answers - Positive self-identity (affirming) or
negative self-identity (denying)
Zhang & Haller theories, rationale and predictions - Answers - Expected perceived
negative portrayals (medical model and social pathology model) will lead to negative,
self-identity, but only when these portrayals are realistic. Expected perceived positive
portrayals (supercrip) will lead to positive stereotypes, but only when these portrayals
are realistic
Zhang & Haller sample - Answers - 390 people with disabilities between the ages of 18-
82
Zhang & Haller procedure - Answers - Survey, participants were emailed and asked
about their media use, how realistic they thought the media's portrayal of disabilities
was, the extent to which a disability was portrayed as dependent on health
professionals for cures (medical model), the extent to which PWDs were presented as
disadvantaged (social pathology model), the extent to which they believe PWDs were
presented as superhuman (Supercrip model), and their self-identity
Zhang & Haller what were participants told about the study's purpose? - Answers -
Participants were told about the survey's true purpose
