Media Psychology. An Empirical Study of Radio Call-In Psychology Programs

It is vital to the interests of psychology as a scientific discipline and profession and to its stated goal of promoting human welfare that the public understand what psychologists do and who they are. The current popularity and prevalence of radio call-in psychology programs nationwide prompted this initial attempt to examine the phenomenon empirically. Two interlocked studies were conducted: One was a survey of 368 patrons in shopping malls in the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas, and the second was a telephone survey of 122 persons who called one New York program, the latter interviewed immediately before, immediately after, and 3 months postcall. Results for the two groups are reported in terms of (a) knowledge about, experience with, and attitudes toward radio call-in programs as reflective of the public image of psychology and (b) the impact of this phenomenon on the population's understanding of mental health issues.