WHERE THE THEORY LIES IN EFFECT APPROACH PARADIGM

Cumulative impact as opposed to a “magic bullet.”

Introduction Cultivation theory was an approach

developed by Professor George Gerbner.

This theory concentrates on specific medium television.

Cultivation theory was probably the longest running and most extensive program of research on the effect of TV.

Cultivation theory predicts not the direct impact on our thinking regarding some issues but very way we perceive or view the world.

Cultivation theory has both narrow and broadened aspects ; narrow in the sense of that it only focuses on one medium that is television and broadened in the sense it addresses the macroscopic question about Media role in society.

The theory focuses on the effect that TV and movie violence has on our perception of reality.  The cultivation theory says that the more TV a person watch, the harsher perception they will have of the real world. 

Gerbner gives many Assumptions of Cultivation Theory:

Television world is “NOT A WINDOW ON or REFLECTION OF THE WORLD" but “A WOLD IN ITS SELF”.

“The television set has become a key member of the family, the one who tells most of the stories most of the time."

Television is a unique medium requiring a special approach to study. TV is essentially and fundamentally different from others forms of mass media. It is 98% of all Americans homes

TV is the central cultural arm of American society.

•The mass media cultivate attitudes and values, which are already present in a culture.

• Television has become the main source of storytelling in today’s society

• The overuse of television creates a homogenous and fearful environment.

He claimed that because TV contains so much violence, people who spend the most time in front of the tube develop and exaggerated belief in a mean and scary world. violence is one of the major staples of the TV world

Gerbner’s framework as a three-pronged plug leading to a TV set to tell us something different about the world of TV.

The first PRONG- institutional process analysis

The second PRONG- message system analysis

The third prong- cultivation analysis

Institutional Process Analysis: The first PRONG“Scholarship that penetrates behind the scenes of

media organizations in an effort to understand what policies or practices might be lurking there.”

Message system analysis: The second PRONGScholarship that involves careful, systematic study of

TV content usually employing content analysis as a research method.

Cultivation analysis: The third PRONG“Research designed to find support for the motion

that those who spend more time watching TV are more likely to see the real world through TV’s lens”

Testing the Cultivation Hypothesis: Gerbner presents

research supporting cultivation theory that is based on compression of heavy viewer or light viewer

Gerbner analyzed answer to question posed in surveys and found that heavy and light viewer typically give answer that are closer to the way the world is portrayed on television.

Cultivation theory Model

Gerbner broke viewers down in to three categories

Viewers

Moderate Viewer

Light Viewers

Heavy Viewers

• Heavy viewer: Those who watch four or more hours a day are labeled heavy television viewers. The heavy television viewers often give answers that are closer to the way he world is portrayed on television.

• Light viewer: Those who view less than four hours per day, according to Gerbner are light viewers. 

• Moderate viewer: Those who watch television, not more than four hour, not less than two hour. They watch television in between them called moderate viewer.

•

Gerbner predicted that heavy viewers saw the world as more dangerous than light viewers. 

TV Answers vs. Real-World Answer

SURVEY NO #01• The first survey question was: “what percentage of the world's population lives in the United state? ”• The correct answer is 6.• Heavy viewers overestimated much more as compared to light viewer. SURVEY NO #02• 2nd survey question was that:• “ what percentage of Americans who have jobs work in law enforcement”• The correct answer was 1 percent.• Heavy viewers give the answer of 20 percent that is too much exaggerated.

SURVEY NO #3• Another question asked of heavy and light viewer was this:• “ during any week what are your chances of being involved in some type of of violence.”• The correct answer is 1 percent or less than 1 percent.• But heavy viewers give the answer about 10% that is also very high than the real ones.- SURVEY NO #4• The next survey question was “Can people be trusted?”• The heavy viewers are more likely to check a response such as “Cant be too careful.”

Cultivation Analysis: In the actual world, 0.41 violent crimes

occur per 100 Americans or less than 1 in 200.

In the world, prime time televisions more than 64% all characteristic are involved in violence.

Therefore, the response to such question suggested that heavy television viewers are getting a heightened sense of risk and insecurity from television. Television may be leading heavy viewers to perceive a “mean world.”

MEAN WORLD SYNDROME is one of the main effects of the cultivation theory• On the small screen, content analysis tells us,

crime ranges about ten times more often than in real life. So, the chances of this type of syndrome are more in heavy viewers of television.

HIRSCH CRITICISM: Hirsch criticized this theory in

1980 and he was of the view: “Gerbner has shown that the difference

between heavy viewer and light television viewers show up even across a number of other important variables, including

Age, Education, News reading and Gender.

That is Gerbner realized that the relationship between television viewing and different views of world could be actually caused by other variables, and he attempted to control for those variable, the effect that is left can be attributed to television become very small”.

MODIFICATION OF CULTIVATION THEORY BY ADDING TWO CONCEPTS:

In response to Hirsch’s criticism, Gerbner has revised cultivation theory. He has added two additional concepts:

Mainstreaming Resonance.

MAINSTREAMING Mainstreaming occurs when heavy viewing leads to the convergence of view

points across groups which includes differences in perspective and behavior that stem from other social, cultural and demographic influences.

For instance heavy viewers low and high income as well as low income of light viewers have same point of view about that fear of crime is a serious problem but light viewers of high income don’t have this point of view.

EXPLAINATION OF MAINSTREAMING BY GIVING THE EXAMPLE THROUGH A FLOW CHART

Heavy viewers Light viewers

High income

Low income

Low income

High income

they tend to more vulnerable But on the other hand high income

Of light viewers cant do precautions.

RESONANCE Resonance occurs when cultivation

effects is boosted for a certain group of population.

For instance , heavy viewers male and females and light viewers female have same tendency towards the fear of crime. However, the males with light exposure do not.

However the group that agree the most strongly is female who are heavy viewer, because their particular vulnerability to crime is said to Resonate.

EXPLAINATION OF RESONANCE BY GIVING THE EXAMPLE THROUGH A FLOW CHART

Heavy viewers Light viewers

male female female male

they tend to more vulnerable Because of their instincts

Rubin, Perse, and Taylor Criticism

•Rubin, Perse, and Taylor (1988) cast further doubt on cultivation In their survey of viewers, they found effect of television viewing on perception of social reality, but the effects were program specific. They also found that age, gender, socioeconomic status, viewing intention and perceived realism were better predictors of faith in others than television exposure.

DENIS MCQUAIL’S CRITICISM

•“Audience behavior and audience view, given the many intervening and powerful social background factors. our attitudes are likely to be influenced not only by TV but also by other media, by direct experience, by other people and so on.”•And this criticism was given due to the over simplification of the theory.

Strengths:•Combines micro and macro level theories•Provide detailed explanations of TV’s unique role•Applies empirical study to widely held humanistic assumptions•Redefines effect as more than observable behavior change.•Applies to wide variety of effects issues.•Provided basis for social change.Weaknesses:•Is methodologically troubling to many.•Assumes homogeneity of TV content.•Focus on heavy users of TV.•Is difficult to apply to Media used less heavily than TV.