March Tuesday, 11
Today's material in the textbook cultivation theory, pp. 151-153 yes, it will be on Exam 2 Cultivation theory Long term exposure to heavy TV content has small but perceptible effects on the perceptions of the audience Gerbner, 1980 Not about immediate effects or imitation Is about expectations & broad patterns of attitude George Gerbner (1919-2005) Born in Hungary Emigrated to US in 1939 3 B's of cultivation theory Gerbner Blurs traditional distinctions in people's views of the world Blends their realities into TV's cultural mainstream Bends the mainstream to the institutional interests of TV and its sponsors TV viewing habits (from the 1960s) Heavy viewers = 4 or more hours per day Moderate viewers = 2-4 hours per day Light viewers = less than 2 hours per day What you watch doesn't matter Cultivation analysis uses 2 methods: Content analysis systematic count of content in TV by genre or time period Example: women in sitcoms, Latinos in primetime; most underrepresented group in proportion to the population? Survey of audience to determine viewing habits and attitudes Viewing violence... Repeated viewing of TV violence leads us to the mean world syndrome Violence index: TV violence = real-life violence X 10 Amount of violence in TV hasn't changed since the 1960s; just its form has changed 2 effects of cultivation Mainstreaming heavy viewers from different subgroups develop similar outlooks Resonance TV content seems similar enough to real-life experiences to amplify cultivation effects in certain groups
Cultivation of other attitudes mainstreaming Eroding regional differences in the US In late 1960s, large differences existed in approval of interracial dating and living together before marriage Southerners disapproved; East Coast approved Among heavy TV viewers, differences disappeared More cultivation findings... Heavy viewers estimate that about 30% of the population are police or law officers Real world = less than 10% Heavy viewers and light viewers differ in expectations about gender roles and racial/ethnic stereotypes Criticism of cultivation theory Relies on established viewing patterns, so can't causality determine Do TV viewers learn about the world from TV, or do they watch TV to confirm their experiences? Because cultivation is a longterm, cumulative effect, we cannot measure it causally
Thursday, March 13
Sexual violence in media 1 in 12 Hollywood movies contains a rape scene (about 8%) In X-rated films (rentals and sales in stores), 14% contain violent acts and 18% contain degrading acts Duncan, 1991 Pornography in the US Americans spend about $10 million per year on "adult entertainment" (2004) U.S. government renews war on porn Now FBI's 4th highest priority Higher than civil rights, organized crime, white-collar crime and "significant violent crime" Obscenity 1973 Supreme Court definition whether material offends contemporary community standards of decency Whether it appeals to the prurient interest Whether it contains significant artistic, scientific, literary merit (no merit = obscenity) Is there a causal link between porn and rape? Experiments are the only way to determine causality In experiments, people are exposed to stimuli and their reactions are measured
Experiments on viewing porn Usually conducted on college-age men Often conducted in groups Often uses psychophysiological measures Psychophysiological measures Physical responses that indicate emotional state Facial muscles, galvanic skin response, pulse, penile tumescence Causal effects of pornography No causal link between viewing porn and committing rape But porn may have disinhibitory effects on those who already have the proclivity men were shown a rape victim's testimony and asked to serve as "jurors" Those who had just viewed porn were less likely to believe she had been raped Lots of anecdotal evidence exists Anecdotal = not scientific; real examples Ted Bundy, Hustler, etc. Correlation between rape and porn is clear Logical association BUT no time sequence, other causes can't be ruled out What is the most dangerous content? "slasher films" connect sex with violence Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc. Targeted at adolescents, so kids have easy access Explicitly links sexual arousal with violence