By: Paul Nembhard

Reality TV has been around for many generations, ever wonder if within the production of it, if the cast members have to alter their behavior and personality for director and writer purposes? LETS FIND OUT. INTRODUCTION

History tells us that reality shows aren't just cameras following people around aimlessly, it is made up of an agenda, and that is to tell a story through entertainment. There are writers, producers and directors on set ALL THE TIME. …INTRODUCTION

Do reality show cast members experience personality changes because of the cameras and if so, in what ways? QUESTION

1.The Power of the Situation by Philip Zambardo: An experiment done in the early 1970s on the psychology of college students who were told to perform given roles affiliated with a prison environment. Some students were given the role as an officer, some as prisoners. What ended happening is that at then end of the experiment, because of the realness of the environment, students forgot they were in an experiment, most of them believed they were actually being treated unfairly as prisoners or on the other hand, driven to be a corrupt officers with aggression. This shows how easily the mind can be altered in unusual scenarios. The “Reality” of Media Effects by Mark P. Orbe: During his essay on media effects and reality TV, Orbe claims that cast members of realty TV for the most part are placed under real life situations where they play themselves. He does however think that through editing and camera effects, a certain feeling of unrealism is sensed. There might be cases where cast members although not acting, may encounter mentality changes triggered through the thought of being on set. backstage.combackstage.com: This article gathers information given by producers, writers and directors from tv shows. They discuss the thought of whether or not reality show stars have a chance of becoming real actors in major movie roles. Deborah Barylski, who did casting for The Middle, thinks that being on a reality show can boost the chance of cast members being in major acting roles and that if they are good enough after their reality show fame, they can audition. LITERATURE REVIEW

4.Social Tuning of the Self: Consequences for the Self-Evaluations of Stereotype Targets by Stacey Sinclair, et al: This article details how stereotypes in certain situations influence self-examination of a person, especially when placed in a group. In essence, a person views or evaluates themselves based on how others perceive them. This idea can justify the way reality TV shows can shape the show how they want to, allowing cast members to freely do their part, without knowing that they are fulfilling a script. How the Illusion of Being Observed Can Make You a Better Person by Sander Van Der Linden: This article points out the power of surveillance cameras, even pictures of cameras or eyes on walls can trigger a person to change behavior. This is a perfect physiological research that digs deep into the conscience of people, showing that a lot of the decisions we make is based on whether or not we feel that someone maybe be watching us or not. 13 Secrets Reality TV Show Producers Won’t Tell You by Michelle Crouch: This article makes some very bold claims that many people may have already known or preconceived. The writer says that producers know how to psychologically manipulate cast members during on-camera interviews. These interviewers know how to ask questions that will trigger an answer, or emotion, that create major psychological changes. Another claim is that cast members would sometimes willingly alter their own personalities for the camera, or from motivation from producers. …LITERATURE REVIEW

Survey: I will conduct a survey for people who are heavily into watching reality tv shows. The aim of the survey would be to see what others think about the creation of their favorite show, who their favorite character is and how the believe the show perceives them and who they think they are on and off camera. The survey will consists of short answer and multiple choices questions. METHODS

Experiment: I would also plan an experiment that interviews people about cameras, posters of cameras or eyes that they see around them on their daily commute. There is a mural design of a bunch of eyes around the Chambers Street subway station. I will ask people if they ever felt like they were being watched and if they ever acted differently because of they eyes, or because of cameras around them. I would also run an at home camera installation for family members without telling them, and watch to see if they appear to act differently when cameras are up. …METHODS

Reality shows are the best way to watch people and to see how being placed in different environments with different people can alter their behavior. Even the thought of being watched and on camera tells the brain to think differently, in the end, thoughts become things, and we tend to automatically act a bit different. CONCLUSION

By: Paul Nembhard