Chapters 8 & 16 Flashcards
Cultivation
describes how, over time, television viewers develop world views similar to what is seen on TV (ex: mean world syndrome)
What is the theoretical basis for cultivation?
Cognitive paradigm and mental models approach
Describe the cognitive paradigm
Viewers learn from TV because of it’s increased availability (repeated priming) then construct beliefs about the world from that
Describe the mental models approach
TV stories provide situation models which we create and store to be used to interpret new situations
Stereotype
A standardized mental picture of a group that represents an oversimplification
What are three characteristics of stereotypes?
- useful generalizations to organize info
- not inherently evil
- Can be dangerous when they oversimplify or distort a group in a dysfunctional direction
Clark’s four-stage progression of minority representation
- Non-recognition
- Ridicule
- Regulation - “protectors of existing order”
- Respect - full range of roles
What is true about minority representations today?
African Americans are overrepresented
More minorities in news since 1970 but criminals overestimated
Black and Asian-Americans appear more in advertising
Public TV recognize for sensitivity to human issues
Message system analysis - cultural indicators project
investigates images in media content
cultivation analysis - cultural indicators project
compares social perceptions of heavy and light viewers
institutional process analysis - cultural indicators project
examines the production, management, and distribution of media messages