Research Assignment Source 1

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.