Tayler
Dooley
Bragadottir
English
201
11
March 2015
Research Assignment Source
One the sources I found online that may
be useful for me in my research is titled Reality-Based
Television Programming and the Psychology of Its Appeal. The article is a
peer-reviewed article out of the University of Arizona that analyzes some of
the psychological aspects behind reality television. Author Robin Nabi and his
colleagues aimed to define the main components of reality television. They
found that the some of the main components displayed are:
Programs that film real people as
they live out events (con- trived or otherwise) in their lives, as these events
occur. people portraying themselves (i.e., not ac- tors or public figures
performing roles), (b) filmed at least in part in their living or working
environment rather than on a set, (c) without a script, (d) with events placed
in a narrative context, (e) for the primary purpose of viewer entertainment.
This definition excludes programs captured by other genres, such as news pro-
gramming, talk shows, and documentaries, as well as programs featuring reenact-
ments (e.g., America’s Most Wanted) and simple video clips not placed in
a narra- tive context (e.g., America’s Funniest Home Videos).
The study also hypothesized that
reality TV is increasing in popularity due to its voyeuristic nature,
impulsivity of the viewer. The study concluded that impulsivity does not
necessarily predict increased reality TV show viewership.
