This study analyzes the frequency and quality of depictions of Latinos during the 2002 primetime television season. Research on cultivation theory and social identity theory provides insight into the potential implications of exposure to these images. Findings suggest that while advances have been made in terms of the quality of depictions of Latinos, many of these images remain tied to a few, longstanding media stereotypes. In addition, the rate at which Latinos are portrayed on television remains dramatically below that of the real-world population.

The present study utilized an experimental design to investigate the short term effects of exposure to sexualized female video game characters on gender stereotyping and female self-concept in emerging adults. Bussey and Bandura's (1999) social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation was used to explicate this relationship. Undergraduate students (N=328) at a large U.S. Southwestern university participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to play a "sexualized" heroine, a "non-sexualized" heroine, or no video game; then completed an online questionnaire. Female self-efficacy was negatively affected by game play with the sexualized female character. Results cautiously suggest that playing a sexualized video game heroine unfavorably influenced people's beliefs about women in the real world.

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The proliferation of social media in recent years has introduced new social and psychological issues to the media landscape, as well as exacerbated existing phenomena. While psychologists and media scholars have given much attention to body image over the last several decades, they are just now starting to explore these issues in new media environments. Certainly, a quick search on social media websites such as Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, or Pinterest may lead a user to view "thinspiration" images, communiqués which encourage and enable eating disorders. The extent of "thinspiration" messages and images on Pinterest, or "thinspo" for short, has even earned it the nickname "Thinterest," perhaps providing impetus for the company to write a disclaimer in certain areas of the website. Pinterest is an image-based website on which individuals curate content from websites and blogs and organize it on virtual corkboards (Mittal, Gupta, Dewan, & Kumaraguru, 2013). Content which contains messages promoting self-harm is not allowed on the website, although it is still possible to encounter these types of images. For example, when one searches the word "thinspiration" using the search tool on Pinterest, the following message appears at the top of the website page: Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices, they are mental disorders that if left untreated can cause serious health problems or could even be life-threatening. For treatment referrals, information, and support, you can always contact the National

Although research suggests that manifestations of blatant racism are on the decline, findings additionally demonstrate that subtle racism remains prevalent when contexts provide sufficient ambiguity for the expressions to go unnoticed. Notably, studies examining these outcomes have typically been confined to intergroup contexts, despite the fact that mediated contact may yield parallel responses. The present investigation examines this relationship by applying aversive racism and social identity theory assumptions to assess the influence of exposure to television depictions of Latinos, on White viewers’ judgments. Results cautiously reveal that racial identification and media ambiguity affect both viewers’ evaluations of target racial/ethnic out‐group members as well as in‐group esteem.