Social psychological explanation 2 - The role of the media

Question 1

the role of media

Answer 1

social learning theory can be applied here too
film star or celebrity acting as a role model and the vicarious reinforcement would , eg be the portrayal of the character as popular or glamorous in film
1. how media shows addictive behaviour (newspaper,ads,films)
2. whether this exposure has impact

Question 2

how media portrays addiction

Answer 2

many studies shown addictive behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use is very common in tv and films.
alcohol use was seen 86% of popular UK films and 40% TV programmes (lysons et al)
even though smoking general pop has decreased and awareness gone up amount of smoking shown remains constant.
Stanton Glantz et al compared smoking in films from 1950 to 2002 and found that although there was a decrease in smoking incidients between 1950-1982 this then increased up to 2002 to similar levels seen in 1950

Question 3

stanton glantz et al

Answer 3

compared smoking in films from 1950 to 2002 and found that although there was a decrease in smoking incidients between 1950-1982 this then increased up to 2002 to similar levels seen in 1950

Question 4

vicarious reinforcement greater concern and also shown in positive light

Answer 4

Hasantha Gunasekera et al analysed 87 of the top 200 movies of the last 20 years using a content analysis method.
tobacco and alcohol use were common, researchers also noted cannabis and other drug use.
= addictions portrayed positively without negative consequence providing vicarious reinforcement

Question 5

whether exposure has an effect

Answer 5

Robert wellman et al 2006 reviewed number of studies looking at how tobacco advertising and use of cigarettes in films influenced childrens attitudes to smoking and their smoking habits.
researchers found variety studies exposure to marketing +media promoting smoking increased positive attitudes and even doubled chances of starting to smoke.

Question 6

exposure has effect?
Reiner hanewinkel

Answer 6

reiner hanewinkel studied 2346 teenagers aged 12-14 from range of european countries who reported never drank alcohol and did not intend to do so.
at follow up 12 months later 40% of sample tried alcohol 9% engaged in binge drinking even though range variables controlled personality characteristics and school performance = shown exposure to alcohol use in films was associated to increased risk of drinking alcohol

Question 7

evaluation

Answer 7

1. difficulty establishing a casual link
2. lack of population validity
3. adolescents views on the role of media
4. the media can have positive effect as well

Question 8

difficulty establishing casual link

Answer 8

majority of research into media is correlational therefore no cause or effect relationship cannot be established
may not be media causing addictions may be another factor such as friends and family may influence what shows and films are seen thus they can be casual factor
= cornelia pechmann and chuan fong shih

Question 9

difficulty establishing causal link
researchers

Answer 9

cornelia pechmann and chuan fong shih used an experimental method to assess the effects of smoking portrayal on attitudes to smoking and other had this edited out without effecting plot.
those saw smoking version = positive attitudes to smoking and increased personal intentions to smoke
the use of this experimental method provides support for causal link

Question 10

lack of population validity

Answer 10

may lack pop validity as much of it wad conducted on adolescents, theyre more susceptible to social influences and therefore effects are more easily detected different effects may be seen in adults

Question 11

lack of population validity - researchers

Answer 11

studies on adults are limited. patrick jamieson and daniel romer suggest that similar results are seen. They looked at trends in tobacco use on tv and compared this to smoking rates in US population. even controlling other factors like cigar price they show clear correlation between tobacco use on tv and adult cigar consumption.
they suggest it may trigger relapse to restart providing a cue

Question 12

adolescents view on the role of media

Answer 12

seems unfair to portray adolescents in particular as simply passive respondents to the world around them who have no choice in their decision to engage in addictive behaviour.

Question 13

adolescents view on role of media - researchers

Answer 13

Amanda atkinson et al acknowledged that drinking alcohol was often seen in media + sometimes portrayed as glamorous. but adolescents interviewed were aware that images of celebs drinking was exaggerated for effect. they were keen to point that out. although entertaining didnt think it was major influence.
* They said peers and parents played more of a role.

Question 14

Media can have a positive effect as well

Answer 14

may contribute to reduction of addiction.
Pechmann and shih study any effects of showing smoking in the film were cancelled out by showing anti smoking advert beforehand.
many aspects of media report negative consequences (death of amy winehouse) - may act as vicarious reinforcement discouraging people from engaging in those behaviours

Question 15

the smokefree movies project