ERIC Number: EJ1217779
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Brief Report: Does Watching "The Good Doctor" Affect Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Autism?
Stern, Stephanie C.; Barnes, Jennifer L.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v49 n6 p2581-2588 Jun 2019
Individuals' knowledge and attitudes about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) work together to shape the stigma held about ASD. One way that this information is communicated to the public is through popular media; however, little is known about the effectiveness of fictional depictions of ASD in educating and shaping attitudes about ASD. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact media has on knowledge about and attitudes towards ASD, compared to that of a college lecture on the subject. Exposure to one episode of a fictional drama depicting ASD, compared to watching a lecture, resulted in more accurate knowledge, more positive characteristics associated with ASD, fewer negative characteristics associated with ASD, and a greater desire to learn more about ASD.
Descriptors: Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Television Viewing, Mass Media Effects, Social Attitudes, Knowledge Level, Student Attitudes, College Students, Fiction, Lecture Method, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A