Cultivation Theory lecture slides, Slides of Telecommunications Engineering

Download Cultivation Theory lecture slides and more Slides Telecommunications Engineering in PDF only on Docsity!

Cultivation Theory

The messages portrayed on TV

are “cultivated” and soon come to

distort or even replace the real-

world messages received through

daily experience.

George Gerbner, the father of

cultivation, contends that TV is one

of, if not the, dominant socializing force in American society.

Mean World

Syndrome

 A false perception of a mean, violent society brought about by excessive TV and media viewing of mean, violent programs.

 The reality is the world is far more peaceful than our false perception of it.

Gerbner’s research found…

 Men greatly outnumber women on TV

Gerbner’s research found…

 Both younger & older people are underrepresented

 Police officers, lawyers, & doctors are over- represented versus blue collar workers.

Viewing these images may help

define what it means to be a member of a given social class.

The interaction is a continuous

process (as in cultivation) beginning

with infancy and going on to old age.

Variations in Cultivation

Children integrated into cohesive peer or family groups are more resistant to cultivation.

Direct experience plays a role.

Resonance

 A double dose of every day reality and TV viewing. The messages are amplified and “resonate” cultivation.

Happy Violence

 Violence for entertainment

 Violence without consequences

Social Cognitive Theory

People learn through observation

(Apply this concept to mass media

• we learn by watching TV,

watching movies, playing video

games, etc.)

SCT argues people model (copy)

the behavior they see in two ways:

 Identification – observers do not copy exactly what they have seen, but make a more generalized but related response. (Example: Tom the cat hits Jerry the mouse with a broom; Ryan the child dumps a bucket of water over Traci’s head.)

Imitation & Identification are

products of three processes:

 Observational Learning – learn new behaviors simply by seeing them done. (firing a gun).

Disinhibitory Effects:

Seeing a model rewarded for prohibited or threatening behavior increases the likelihood that the observer will perform that behavior.

TV Media Violence and Cultivation

A&E Video w/Mike Wallace (1997)

Hollywood movies and TV shows before 1967 were filled with sanitized violence. TV news in the 1960’s showed realistic violence: (Kennedy, MLK, riots, Vietnam, etc). 1967 Hollywood movies shift to more realistic violence ( Bonnie & Clyde ) to reflect the times. Horror films become more gruesome/gratuitous. TV did not start to show realistic violence until the late 80’s. TV today – far more realistic with consequences ( Law & Order, CSI’s )