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Factors in Degree of Impact of TV
Effects of TV
Hard to establish that TV CAUSES
persuasive effects
Ex. - Watching violent movies causes increased
likelihood of aggression
Research Terms
Quantitative studies
Experiments (laboratory and field)
Surveys
Content analysis
Qualitative studies
Observations
In-depth interviews
Focus groups
Research Terms
Laboratory Experiments
Tightly controlled environments
Focus on specific VARIABLES
Ex. of Variables - Violence vs. Non-violent
Program
Independent variable - Variable that is
manipulated
Dependent variable - Variable that is measured
Research Terms
Field experiments
Occurs naturally (where usually watch TV)
Less likely to find strong relationships between
TV viewing and behavior b/c of extraneous variables
Causal Relationships
Three criteria of proof
Two variables must be statistically related
The cause must precede the effect
Alternative explanations for the finding must be
eliminated
Causal Relationships
Statistical Relationship
As one variable level increases, the other
increases or decreases
Cause before Effect
Proof of causal priority
Time order requirement
No extraneous variables
Rule out other possibilities
Surveys
Surveys
One shot deal or Longitudinal (repeated over
time)
Trend study
Same question(s) asked of different people at
different times)
Ex. - Political poll 6 months before election and
one week before
Surveys
Panel studies
Same people studied at different points in time
Advantage: some evidence of cause and effect can
be established
Disadvantage: attrition is a problem (people die
and move away)
Content Analysis
Content analysis
Study segments of TV/Radio to describe messages
presented
Can’t be used alone to make statements about
effects of media content
Theories of Media Effects
Hypodermic Needle Theory
Media "shoot" beliefs into minds of
people
Universal effects
Based on propaganda success before/during WW I
Theories of Media Effects
Limited-Effects Theory
Based on persuasion studies
Media does not have a direct effect
Media influence is passed through opinion leaders
then to the masses
Intervening factors like prior beliefs/knowledge,
family, friends, peer groups
Theories of Media Effects
Special-Effects Theory
Middle ground between hypodermic needle and
limited-effects theories
Media are not all-powerful
Some cases where media have great influence over
audience
Impact of TV on Individuals
May change attitudes and values
Ex. - change attitude about relationships
Reinforcement
Ex. - confirm existing attitudes (i.e., elderly
are poor drivers)
Impact of TV on Individuals
Creation
Ex. - form opinions of latest legislative policy
Conversion
Ex. - Actually change attitude from A to B
Difficult and highly unlikely with one viewing
Canalization
Ex. - Channel buying behavior
Repeated ads make us lean toward brands
Impact of TV on Individuals
Behavior
Violence
Sexual Material
Life Patterns
Inactivity, Withdrawal, & Escape
Violence
Catharsis theory
Watch violence and purge self of violent
tendencies
Not much support for this theory
Aggressive cues theory
a.k.a. - Arousal theory
Watch violence and get physiologically aroused
Violence
Observational learning theory
a.k.a. - Social Learning theory
Watch violent acts, copy behavior of TV
characters
Violence
George Comstock
Research concluded that TV may increase
aggressive behavior
Teaches viewers hostile acts
Encourages various ways of using aggression
Can "trigger" aggressive behavior
Violence
Cultivation Theory
George Gerbner
Excessive TV exposure creates a symbolic world
Cultivate over a long period of time symbols that
affect our perception of reality
Ex. - Mean world theory
More violence we watch, the more we tend to think
the world is a mean place to live in
Violence
Cultivation Theory
Mainstreaming
Heavy viewers develop common perceptions that
differ from light viewers in the same subgroup
Resonance
Double-dose from TV and reality
Ex. Lots of crime on TV news and witness crime in
neighborhood
Research and Theory
Theory
A set of interrelated statements which explain
and predict a phenomenon
Agenda-setting
Media don’t tell us what to think, but they
tell us what to think about
Theory
Uses and Gratifications
What do we use TV for
Is it for escape
For information
For entertainment
Theory
Dependency Theory
De Fleur and Ball-Rokeach
As society becomes more complex and informal
interpersonal channels are disrupted, we rely on media for information
Degree of dependency varies
Theory
Spiral of Silence
Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann
When we perceive our opinions and ideas to be in
the majority, we remain silent
Media help create dominant opinions, which are
often contrary to individual minority positions
© B.L. Yates 2000
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