Chapter 13 Flashcards
Audiences emotional responses to fright
“Reaction of fright or anxiety”
Aka fright reaction
Widespread panic when “war of the worlds broadcasted live on radio” p.200
Dr. C’s additions
Fear and xenophobia of immigrants/”aliens” in politics and social discourse
Dr c was also afraid of the exorcist
Types of mechanisms to create/ produce fear (3)
Dangers and injuries
Distortions of natural forms
Endangerment and fear by others
Stimulus generalization
Whenever viewers witness highly realistic, scary action on the screen, their fright responses tend to be highly emotional
Methods for measuring fright (2)
Self reporting measures
Measures of physiological responses
Methods for measuring reactions to fright: self reporting measures
Respondents are asked to report levels of anxiety and also recall media content that frightens them and words or phrases that best describe their reactions to the content
Methods for measuring reactions to fright: measuring physiological responses
heart rate, skin temperature, facial expressions
Measured in lab by researchers
What frightens children: ages 3-8 years
Frightening images on the screen such as: Monsters Ghosts Supernatural creatures The dark Animals Strange looking creatures Fast moving creatures **aka just the stimulus itself no matter how unreal or fantastic it is**
What frightens children ages: 9-12 years
Threats of injury or destruction to the self or loved ones frightens children most in this age group
What frightens children: ages 12 and older
Personal injury is also a fear for adolescents, but they also face social and peer pressures and accompanying fears, and global concerns such as politics, the economy, or the environment
The reasons for these differences among age groups
Has to do with cognitive development
As a child grows older, he or she responds more intensely to media depictions that are based more on reality than fantasy or the unrealistic.
Coping strategies for dealing with fear (2 categories)
Cognitive and non cognitive
Non cognitive coping strategies
Those that do not require the viewer to process verbal information.
Have been shown to work well among young children
Types of non cognitive strategies
2
Visual desensitization
Physical activity
Cognitive coping strategies
Those that require the activation of cognitive processes (talking about the fear) tend to work well with children of elementary school age and older.
Though noncognitive strategies also help
NC Strategies: Visual desensitization
Allows children to be gradually exposed to disturbing content.
NC Strategies: Physical activity
Doing something physically while viewing content. However it is seen as a distraction rather than diminishing/eliminating fear
Clinging to an object is an example of this strategy.
Eating or drinking while viewing a scene has been shown to reduce fears, but some researchers argue that this takes place only because the child is distracted
Closing eyes is another example but used by only younger children. Older children actually become more afraid due to continuing sounds.
Explanations for appeals to fright
Catharsis/Purgation
Identification
Vicarious experience
Horror serves as a necessary/noxious experience
Religious overtones
Empathic responses towards the victims
Satisfying endings to horror stories
Catharsis/purgation as an explanation for the appeal to fright
Audience members witness graphic violence on the screen or read about it in books, they purge or rid themselves of their own violent tendencies/inclinations
Identification and the vicarious experience as explanations for the appeal to fright
Some say that viewers are able to get sadistic pleasure by identifying with the monsters and killers and victims as well. Living vicariously through the characters
The “necessary and noxious experience” as an explanation for the appeal to fright
Provides the viewer with feelings of gratified relief once the story is finished.
Feel accomplished and relieved
Religious overtones as an explanation for the appeal to fright
People enjoy horror because it encourages a belief in a superior spiritual being capable of destroying evil forces.
Ultimately they experience feelings of spiritual safety.
Release of empathetic responses towards victims as an explanation for the appeal to fright
Makes viewers apprehensive of becoming victims themselves.
Viewers identify with the victims and experience their terror vicariously
Frightens viewers because of their apprehensions; they fear being/becoming the victims themselves.
All relieved by a satisfying ending enjoyed by viewers
Emotional response factors to fear producing stimuli (3)
Realism of depiction
Motivations of the viewer
Factors affecting viewers’ emotional responses
Emotional responses: Realism of depiction
Highly realistic and scary onscreen depictions tend to elicit more intense emotional responses
Aka Stimulation Generalization
Emotional responses: Stimulation generalization (aka realism of onscreen depictions)
The greater the similarity=the stronger the generalization stimulus=stronger fearful/emotional response to the stimulus
Emotional responses: motivations of the viewer 1 - cognitive measures to enhance or minimize fright responses
Mature adult viewers possess control over responses to fearful media content
Viewers can either keep reminding themselves that the events on screen are fake to keep fright reactions to a minimum or purposely forget the events are being staged to enhance the experience (more realistic because fully submersed in the program) and become more frightened
Emotional responses: motivations of the viewer 2 - acquisition of info
Viewers who watch for this reason tend to pay more attention to the program and thus become more aroused by what they see
Documentaries of actual real life portrayals of violence elicit significantly higher arousal/fright reactions than programs that the viewers know are fictional.
Due to real life threat of these real life depictions. Happens to more mature children and adults.
Factors affecting viewers’ emotional responses
Viewers who are previously aroused before viewing an exciting or disturbing scene retain some “arousal residue” which combines with new responses to film scenes to produce more intense emotional reactions.
This previous arousal/foreshadowing/forewarning before pop ups is used when directors use certain music, sounds or angles
The theory of excitation transfer explains this phenomenon
Hedonism
the branch of psychology that deals with unpleasant or pleasant states of consciousness
Cognitive strategies examples
Telling the child that the program is not real
If the program depicts highly realistic threats then tell them about the minimal risk/danger
Info can be provided verbally and visually and simple reassuring words can be repeated to calm the child
