WVU communication studies professor and students publish findings

Morgantown, W.Va., September 11, 2007: Dr. Rebecca M. Chory, associate professor of communication studies at West Virginia University, recently helped two students seeking their master’s degree to publish the findings of their studies. Vincent Cicchirillo of Follansbee, W.Va. investigated video game play and verbal aggressiveness among college students. Similarly, Kelly N. Kubic of St. Clairsville, Ohio explored college students’ exposure to television makeover programs and compared it to the individual’s level of satisfaction with their bodies and perfectionism.

Cicchirillo’s study discovered that individuals who played video games more frequently had a tendency to be more verbally aggressive, and male video game players who played often were found to be the most verbally aggressive of the participants.

Verbal aggressiveness can be defined as attacking the self concept of another person, and includes insulting the individual’s physical appearance, character, background, or intelligence. Chory and Cicchirillo’s study was recently published in “Communication Research Reports, Volume 24, Issue 2.”

Likewise, Chory worked with Kubic to discover that individuals who watched television makeover programs frequently were more likely dissatisfied with their bodies and often perfectionists, regardless of the viewer’s gender.

Reality television makeover programming includes shows that improve a person’s physical appearance through surgery, diets, new clothes or hair styles. Programs such as “What Not to Wear,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and “Extreme Makeover” were found to be associated with the unhappiness that college students feel toward their bodies and the emphasis that is placed on perfection. Chory and Kubic’s study is scheduled for publication in “Communication Research Reports, Volume 24, Issue 4.”

The Department of Communication Studies is in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University.

For more information, please contact Dr. Rebecca Chory at 304-293-3905 or at rchoryas@wvu.edu.