Final Exam Flashcards
Which of the following genres has an underlying ideological frame that typically supports the preservation of the status quo? (Action films, sitcoms, gangster films, all of the above, or none of the above)
All of the above
Narratives in the mass media are important to understand because: a) narratives are rare in the human experience; b) narratives are unique to media; c) narratives offer interpretations that may be influential; d) all; e) none
c) Narratives offer interpretations that may be influential
A music video that has high message sensation value should be appealing to which kind(s) of viewers? a) People who enjoy extreme sports; b) people who are afraid to try new things; c) people who are very resistant to peer pressure; d) all; e) none
a) people who enjoy extreme sports
According to the article you read by Green & Brock, what characteristic(s) of narratives is the key to their potential influence upon world views? a) the difficulty of the language used in the narrative; b) the narrative’s ability to prompt “transportation”; c) the narrative’s length; d) all; e) none
b) the narrative’s ability to prompt “transportation”
True/False: Working within genres limits the potential success of a media product.
False
True/False: A political-economy perspective of the mass media advocates for considering the political and economic interests of media owners when interpreting the meaning of mass communication messages.
True
Which of the below is an assumption of a political-economy perspective of the mass media? a) there is a power imbalance between media producers and media consumers; b) media businesses are driven by economic interests; c) media messages are a unique product because they contain (or are) meaning; d) all; e) none
d) all of the above
Which statement below would both Gordon Gekko and Milton Friedman, the famous economist, agree with? a) free markets lead to freedom; b) market regulation can be healthy; c) media companies should be censored; d) none; e) all
a) free markets lead to freedom
According to lecture, the cost of media entertainment has changed in what way(s) in the past 300 years? a) the cost of producing it has risen dramatically; b) adjusting for inflation, the cost of distribution has remained consistent; c) the cost of consuming it has dropped dramatically; d) all; e) none
c) the cost of consuming it has dropped dramatically
Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony suggests that: a) cultures are made up of many diverse perspectives and behaviors and these factors all contribute to society; b) it is possible for one class to dominate a society culturally, so that other groups’ interests are subordinated; c) the interests of all people in a society are always represented in its culture; d) none; e) all
b) it is possible for one class to dominate a society culturally, so that other groups’ interests are subordinated
Music videos that have elements of a narrative may be particularly appealing to which kind(s) of viewers? a) viewers with a high need for sensation; b) viewers with a high need for cognition; c) viewers with a high need for prediction; d) all; e) none
b) viewers with a high need for cognition
True/False: All mediated information contains narratives.
False
Concluding that Blue Bloods is a typical police drama without having seen the program is an example of what act by the audience? a) generic selection; b) generic interpretation; c) generic identification; d) all; e) none
c) generic identification
Fundamentally, why do media producers like and rely upon genres? a) genres reduce uncertainty in the production process; b) genre texts cost more to produce but are more original; c) using genres helps win critical acclaim; d) all; e) none
a) genres reduce uncertainty in the production process
What does hegemony look like? a) conflict; b) normalcy; c) oppression; d) all; e) none
b) normalcy
A _______ is a strategy that uses readily accessible, though loosely applicable, information to control problem solving.
heuristic
According to the critical perspective of media literacy that we have discussed so far, what is the general relationship between audiences and media organizations? a) audiences are powerful, and media are weak; b) audiences are powerful, and media are powerful; c) audiences are weak, and media are powerful; d) all; e) none
c) audiences are weak, and media are powerful
True/False: Scholars have collected conclusive evidence which shows that people who are high in the need for sensation are typically low in the need for cognition.
False
Findings from the Murder at the Mall experiment suggest that: a) audiences may be conscious of consuming fiction; b) audiences may only be persuaded by non-fiction; c) audiences may sometimes be influenced by fiction; d) all; e) none
c) audiences may sometimes be influenced by fiction
A(n) ________ is an expression or projection of a particular mindset through a system of meanings and values.
ideology
Herman and Chomsky identify five media filters. Identify and explain 2 of them.
Control: handfull of companies control most of the media in the U.S.; Anti-communism: by perpetuating the conversation about anti-communism, subdominate groups are led to believe this is a continual threat and a bad thing, supporting the dominant ideology.
In the article you read from the Atlantic, Sandels outlines two problems with our reliance upon free-markets. Identify and explain these two problems.
1) Corruption of the product: putting a price on something like freedom corrupts the idea and fundamentals of it; 2) Inequality: Those who don’t have access get the short end of the stick. Has a cascading effect
Explain the findings of the Brain Scan Study. How do these findings affect our understanding of media literacy/effects?
Brain processes narrative the same way it processes memory. React to narrative the way we’d react if it was actually happening, even if we know the narrative is fictional. Media can use this to manipulate viewers.
What was argues to be the dominant ideology in America? How is it reflected in media content?
Market populism: advertising pays for television, television perpetuates the desire to buy more.
How does a cognitive miser behave? Provide an example of one in action.
Make snap decision on which information to take in and/or choices to make; ex: not spending time worrying about what to wear so the miser can have more time to make more important decisions about the day.
Pick one of Tversky and Kahneman’s 3 major heuristics. Briefly explain it and then connect your understanding of the heuristic to mass media.
Availability: calls upon personal experiences and past knowledge; don’t question a media representation as long as it meets our expectations; dumb cheerleader more believable than a cheerleader that wins the Nobel.
There are 3 dimensions of power. First dimension is force, second is coercion. Identify and explain the third dimension of power.
Propoganda?: filters embedded in the system; negative and positive attention sends the message for you.
When creating PSAs about risky behaviors, what kind of psychological profile should be targeted? Why? Explain a technique we have covered that may be useful in developing successful PSAs for this audience.
Targeted at high sensation seekers (more likely to seek out and take part in risky behaviors). High sensation value messages are the best technique (flashy and loud video and audio)
Two paths through which narratives could be persuasive and/or influential. Identify both and explain how each works.
Transportation: unconsciously adopt those feeling sand ideals. Interpretation: believe what the narrative is telling you as long as the narrative makes sense.
What is the illusion of validity? How does it relate to stereotypes and the media?
Data seems valid only based on what you would expect. Because there is a stereotype that black people are poorer than white people, audiences are more apt to accept statistics that affirm this even if they are misleading or untrue.
In the Candidate Skin Tone Study, researchers found that: a) only conservatives/Republicans evaluated candidates differently based on skin tone; b) respondents rated candidates from the opposing party more negatively when skin tones were darker; c) an unknown candidate was evaluated negatively based on skin tone, but Obama was not affected; d) all; e) none
b) respondents rated candidates from the opposing party more negatively when skin tones were darker
True/False: The experiments in The Right Angle found that a low-angle sideview of the SUV prompted subjects to think of the SUV’s owner as powerful.
False
Which of the following studies found that footage from the subjective camera angle (vs an objective angle) was more engaging for an audience? a) the butcher footage experiment; b) the potato chip pitch experiment; c) the video game involvement comparison; d) all; e) none
a) the butcher footage experiment
The anchoring function of a syntactic message serves to: a) supply meaning that an image can’t provide on its own; b) prompt an emotional response in the viewer; c) focus the reading of an image towards a particular interpretation; d) all; e) none
c) focus the reading of an image towards a particular interpretation
Which of the below was true of the Tissue Ad Experiment? a) the text stating the softness of the tissues was most persuasive; b) it is more convincing to tell an audience your message in words than to have them infer it from images; c) visuals can draw an analogy between relevant images more effectively than words; d) all; e) none
c) visuals can draw an analogy between relevant images more effectively than words.
True/False: Audiences derive only the intended, explicit message from advertisements.
False
The primary discourse of an advertisement, according to O’Barr, is typically: a) explicit; b) implicit; c) insignificant; d) all; e) none
a) explicit
True/False: Gombrich and Barthes would agree that meaning is made by the audience.
True
In Barthes’ Panzani advertisement, the idea of a “still life” painting is part of which level of messaging? a) coded iconic; b) non-coded iconic; c) linguistic; d) all; e) none
a) coded iconic
