Katy Grunenwald

MMW&R
Research Essay
3/17/15
Part 1: Research Proposal
Topic: I am researching reality television and its role in the
perpetuation of stereotypes.
Research Questions: I want to find out how producers manipulate
footage to alter how subjects of the shows are viewed and how viewers
of reality television interpret what they see, which in turn affects their
perception of others.
Audience & Significance: I want to research this in order to help those
viewers and the people they may be judging understand the social
construction of stereotypes to hopefully allow them to consciously
avoid stereotyping and stop supporting shows that perpetuate it.
Context: This issue is important because especially with recent
conflicts it is imperative that we as a humans learn to communicate
better and recognize the value in others even when they are strangers
and unlike ourselves.
Exhibit: To illustrate my discussion of misperceptions and stereotyping I
plan to focus on the techniques that reality tv producers use to
manipulate footage and the effects this can have as well as social
psychologys concept of the out-group.
Key Sources Found So Far:
MLA citation
Type of Source
Gonchar, Michael. Does
Reality TV Promote
Dangerous Stereotypes?
The Learning Network:
Teaching & Learning with
The New York Times,
2013.
Haggerty, Maryann.
Reality TV. CQ
Researcher Aug. 27,
2010.

Blog entry

Electronic Journal

What does the source

offer your project?
Not sure yet. Waiting for
interlibrary loan

Statistics, background,
thoughts from people on
both sides of the
argument. Information on
manipulation by
producers.

Lowry, Brian. Television:

Stereotypes: Reality TVs
Dirty Little Secret.
Variety Jan. 11, 2010: 16.
Wyatt, Wendy, and
Kristie Bunton. The Ethics
of Reality TV: A
Philosophical
Examination. New York:
Continuum International
Publishing Group, 2012.

Magazine article

Examples.

Book

Theories and
background.

Part 2: Exploratory Draft

Through this research paper I hope to learn more about how the
way in which reality television shows portray people affects our overall
perceptions of larger groups of people. I dont know for sure which way
I will be arguing yet, but I would imagine that I will most likely take the
stance that reality TV does perpetuate the formation of stereotypes in
todays society. I think this topic is interesting especially after take an
Introduction to Social Psychology class last semester in that I can apply
some of the theories from this class to understanding the formation of
stereotypes. For example the theory of out-group perceptions applies
to this topic because it says that by nature we tend to see those who
are different from us as less human than ourselves, which can lead to
stereotyping and misunderstanding. Combining this with what viewers
of reality TV may think of the people that they see, I hope to be able to
explain why these stereotypes are formed and make viewers more
aware of how to consciously counteract this process. Everyone has a
stake in this topic, because even if you dont want reality TV it can
greatly benefit communities as a whole to come to greater
understanding of one another and reduce prejudices. An audience that
may not benefit from this, however, consists of those producers who
manipulate the image of subjects on a reality show simply for ratings
and money. They may lose support and viewers as an effect of a
growing awareness of the harmful effects that these shows can have. I
hope to empower viewers to be able to analyze more effectively what
they are watching and stop themselves from assuming things about
others based on it.
At this point I imagine my essay to begin with a background on
some of the social psychological concepts that will be needed to
understand the claims I plan to make on how stereotypes are formed
because of reality television. Then I will move into examples from the
sources I have found so far and statistics to back up my claims. Next I
will move into a more broad evaluation of the effects of reality

television and discuss the larger conflicts that are perpetuated by the
misrepresentations of groups through reality TV. Lastly I will discuss
solutions to these problems such as being aware of our natural
tendencies to group like people together and assume less of those who
are different from us or ending support for shows that perpetuate these
issues. So far I have found a pretty good amount of sources with plenty
of statistics and examples and I plan to look back through the textbook
I used in my social psychology class to find information on the social
theories I plan to discuss. The multitude of sources I found just farther
confirms by belief that this topic is relevant and important right now.
Im sure some people would disagree with me by saying that everyone
knows that reality shows rarely show true reality and that most people
are smart enough to better than to base judgments of others off these
shows, but I hope to show how unconsciously these stereotypes can be
developed. I think most readers would expect a paper like this to focus
mostly on the representations of subjects on television, but hopefully I
will be able to add a new element to this discussion by presenting
psychological theories that explain why we as humans tend to develop
these stereotypes. My concern for this paper is being able to strike a
good balance between explaining the theories completely without
being repetitive.