Media Impact

    The media project I would propose would be to research the postitive effects of reality television. I would begin the research by conducting a laboratory experiment, using people who have seen very little or no reality television. From these selected candidates, they will be randomly sampled based on their interest in the offered subjects (business, dance, culinary, and self improvement) of the relevant reality show (The Apprentice, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, and The Biggest Loser) being tested. I will be adapting the social learning theory and oberserve the possibility of the candidates modeling the subjust of the show in any way (ex. a person can pick up basic understanding of technical dance terms and choreography learned from So You Think You Can Dance, etc). In 6-8 months of testing, candidates will first be tested on the subject before viewing, again during the middle, and at the conclusion of the experiment. From this research, I predict that at least more than half of the candidates will be able to apply the subject to their daily lives (or career) from the reality shows.