Further research :
Education levels and socio economic status played major roles in audience behavior. Indirect than direct effects
( in conjunction with the influences of family, education and peers.
Schramm – studied the effects of TV in the early 1960’s
Topics in Broadcasting Research (Dominick, Messere and Sherman (2004) :
The effect of violent TV programming on anti social behavior
Perceptions of social reality
Stereotyping - Women’s portrayal
TV and Politics – campaign,political advertising voting and candidate image
TV and educational skills
Pro-social behavior
Social impact of the Internet
Agenda Setting Theory
Theorist: Maxwell McCombs and Donald L. Shaw
This theory is good at explaining why people with similar media exposure place importance on the same issues.
Although different people may feel differently about the issue at hand, most people feel the same issues are important.
It has explanatory power because it explains why most people prioritize the same issues as important.
It has predictive power because it predicts that if people are exposed to the same media, they will feel the same issues are important.
It is parsimonious because it isn’t complex, and it is easy to understand.
It can be proven false. If people aren’t exposed to the same media, they won’t feel the same issues are important.
It’s meta-theoretical assumptions are balanced on the scientific side
It is a springboard for further research
It has organizing power because it helps organize existing knowledge of media effects.
Violence Theories
Albert Bandura suggested a relationship between violent behavior on TV and aggressive
behavior in children who viewed the behavior. Research on TV effects on individuals ( audience) especially children
has generated a variety of theories :
- Catharsis Theory
- Modeling Theory
- Desensitization Theory
- The mean world syndrome
Catharsis Theory
Televised violence serves as a release for average viewers
Posits that watching scenes of media violence would actually
reduce the aggressiveness of viewers since their hostile feelings would be purged while watching the media portrayals.
It is not socially acceptable to resort to physical violence themselves, so they release tension through televised violence.
Modeling Theory
Known as imitative behavior
Suggests that children learn to be aggressive by watching violent characters on TV.
This effect is evident in Bandura’s study and the effects of televised violence tend to vary differently
Critics on the research : is does not support a direct, casual relationship between televised violence and
violent acts such as assault or murder BUT bulk of the research does support an association between violence on
TV and aggressive behavior in children.
Desensitization Theory
Suggest that :
- children become less sensitive or even insensitive to actual violence by watching violent acts on TV.
- children simply become passive as a result of witnessing yet another violent act on TV
At some point, after watching countless murders and assaults on TV, some children have little or no reaction at
all to violent acts in real life .
They are not stimulated to commit violent acts but neither do feel shock.
The mean world syndrome
Apply more to adults than to children
Describes the reaction of TV viewers, particularly older people, to the world around them.
Because they see so much violence on TV, they feel that the world is extremely violent
They have exaggerated fears of being attacked or killed
This effect however has to be considered in the context of individuals viewers and their environments.
Effects TV appears to have on behavior defined as pro-social.
List of TV effects on behavior :
- TV effects on social and emotional behavior
- TV effects on creativity and language skills
- TV effects on school achievement
- TV and reading skills
- TV and reading habits
- TV can enhance children’s intellectual development
- TV effects on IQ
TV can increase pro-social behavior and improve pre-reading and numbered skills especially to children (learning cognitive skills)
Children learn social skills such as sharing, cooperation, and helping by watching TV (Dominick – 1990)
Others behavior commonly defined as pro-social are self-control, resisting temptation, offering sympathy, and making reparation
for bad behavior.
TV set up an alternative way of viewing the world, thinking about life, and considering human relationships.
Wood (1983,257) suggests that the media contribute to “social regularity…the inclination of the media – especially in reality content –
to remind us of the rewards for social conformity and the punishments of deviant behavior.”
It is obvious that television has succeeded in usurping a dominant role in the home, capturing both the time and attention of
parents and children, rearranging the priorities of the family, and reorganizing the manner in which individuals develop relationships
with one another.