Exam 3 (Gerbner)

Question 1

What was Gerbner interested in with “Media Theory?”

Answer 1

Interested on what the effects on media is on people.

Question 2

Whats the definition for “Socio-Phycological?”

Answer 2

Expression, Interaction and influence

Question 3

What is the problem of “Socio-Phycological”?

Answer 3

Situation requiring manipulation of causes of behavior to achieve specified outcomes.

Question 4

Who is Bandura?

Answer 4

Did a study, weather or not people would fallow a guy in a suit that is j walking, vs a guy in a t-shirt j walking.

Question 5

What did Gerbner focus on?

Answer 5

Media effects

Question 6

What is Gerbner’s definition of “Cultivation Theory?”

Answer 6

Effects on perceptions of reality. ( if you spend too much time in television, you are going to believe that the world that is depicted by television, you are going to depict that as the real world.)

Question 7

What is Gerbner’s central claim on cultivation theory?

Answer 7

Persistent, long term exposure to TV content has small but measurable average effects on the perceptual world of heavy viewers.

Question 8

What is the two stage process of the “Cultivation Theory”?

Answer 8

1. Message system analysis - (Annual content analysis of prime time TV)
2. Cultivation Analysis
   - National surveys of TV audience
   - Calculate cultivation differential

Question 9

What is the “Violence Index” according to Gerbner?

Answer 9

What is the amount of violence on TV

Question 10

What is the TV world?

Answer 10

(How the world is depicted on tv) Survey concerning perceptions of real world.

Question 11

How are viewers classified under Gerbner’s Theory?

Answer 11

• Heavy Viewers
• Moderate Viewers
• Light Viewers

Question 12

What is the Cultivation differential?

Answer 12

The difference between light and heavy users

Question 13

Mainstreaming

Answer 13

Heavy users from different groups develop a similar outlook.

Question 14

Resonance

Answer 14

How TV content “resonates” with real life experiences to amplify the cultivation effect in certain groups of heavy users.

Question 15

Criticisms of Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory?

Answer 15

• Small effect:Inconsistant Results (not enough for individual analysis, for the most part, it was a small effect, Over time things change)
• Direction of the cause is hard to prove:(e.g. Which cause is which - Heavy TV viewing or fear of violence?)
• However,Researchconducted in several countries shows evidence of cultivation effects
• Even a small effect, can be socially important (analogies: Pollution, Global Warming, Junk food)