The Effects of Media Format on Empathy, Justice Orientations, and Prosocial Behavior

This study investigates how media format shapes viewer empathy, attitudes, and behavior in the context of documentaries about incarceration. It contributes to broader understandings of documentary media’s role in prosocial education and the psychological impacts of emerging media technologies. The study employs a between- and within-subjects design with three conditions: standard video, 360-degree video, and virtual reality to identify whether the increased immersiveness of virtual reality yields more empathy, prosocial behavior, and positive attitudes toward prisoners and restorative justice than the less immersive standard video and 360-degree video conditions. Each participant was asked to complete one assessment immediately after the short film intervention and another assessment one week later. The dependent variables of trait parochial empathy, attitudes toward restorative and retributive justice, attitudes toward prisoners, and prosocial behavior were examined as repeated measures in both assessments. Spatial presence and qualitative questions about the short film’s content, format, and attitudes toward prisoners were also included in the first assessment. Significant time × format interaction effects emerged for trait parochial empathy and attitudes toward prisoners, suggesting that the effects of media format on empathy and attitudes shift over time and that further longitudinal research is needed to understand these changes.

I was awarded honors in Spring of 2025 for the completion of this year-long research project as part of my B.A. in Psychology.

Sadie Scott Honors Thesis in Psychology.pdf

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