title: Destigmatization by Association: Improving Children's Reactions to an Obese Storybook Character.
abstract: Second- through fourth-grade students were read a storybook that described a typical boy who interacted with an obese boy for one of four reasons (sympathy, curiosity, teacher instructed, or no reason) to explore the manner in which a typical storybook character's reason for associating with an obese storybook character influences children's responses to both characters. Results revealed that the children responded more favorably to the obese storybook character after than before learning about the typical storybook character's association with him, especially when the typical storybook character's reason for association was presented as internally motivated (sympathy or curiosity). In contrast to "stigma by association" findings reported in prior research, the children also responded more favorably to the typical storybook character after than before his association with the obese storybook character.
authors.affiliation: a Kansas State University.
authors.forename: Taylor W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Wadian
authors.affiliation: a Kansas State University.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: b Xavier University.
authors.forename: Tammy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Sonnentag
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009765:Obesity; D011932:Reading; D057545:Social Stigma
keywords: Interpersonal relations and attitudes; social cognition; stigmatization