Cultivation Theory and Research.

Abstract

This is a critical analysis of how cultivation has been conceptualized in theory and research. Cultivation indicators are exatninedfor their meaning in texts, the meaning received by viewers, and the distinction between estimations and bel@s. The mnstruci of television exposure is analyzed in terms of the assumptions of uniform messages and nonselective viewing, as well as the conception of time and dominance. The nature of relationship is illuminated through the assumptions of linearity, asymmetry, control variables, causation, level of generality, mainstreaming, and resonance. Remmmendations are provided to suggest ratisions for conceptualizing the existing theory and extending it. Suggestions for extension include reconceptualizing the effect and the relationship, developing a typology of fleets, mnsidering the context of other simultanwus influences, pmviding analysis over time, and examining the process of influence on individuals and on the messages. ultivation refers to the long-term formation of perceptions and beliefs about the world as a result of exposure to the C media. It was introduced by George Gerbner in 1969 with the publication of "Towards 'Cultural Indicators': The Analysis of Mass Mediated Public Message Systems."In that article, he argued for the importance of moving beyond examining short-term effects of the media to look at how the media exert subtle but cumulative effects over a long period of time. He posited that "changes in the mass production and rapid distribution of messages across previous barriers of time, space, and social grouping bring about systematic variations in public message content whose full significance rests in the cultivation of collective consciousness about elements of existence" (Gerbner, 1969, p. 138). Rather than use the phrase "long term effects," he used "cultivation" because he was interested in the more diffuse W. James Potter is Associate Professor in the

Excellent gamer, excellent driver? The impact of adolescents’ video game playing on driving behavior: A two-wave panel study

“…Thus, in line with authors (e.g. Bilandzic and Rössler, 2004;Cohen and Weimann, 2000;Potter, 1993) looking at genre-specific cultivation effects of television viewing; the specific effects of the playing of racing and drive'em up games will be examined in the present study.…”

“…These assumptions of a uniform television 7 content and ritualistic viewing have been heavily criticized in later cultivation research. Potter (1993) as well as Cohen and Weimann (2000), and Bilandzic and Rössler (2004) have argued that different genres focus on different aspects of reality and therefore have different effects. This is also the case for video games.…”

Tv-kijken, stereotypering, attitudevorming en discriminatie van Duitsers /Watching television, stereotyping, attitude formation and discrimination of Germans

“…Bij de beschrijving van hoe individuen hun oordeel over de werkelijkheid baseren op mediagebruik, maakt de sociaalcognitieve cultivatietheorie vaak een onderscheid tussen twee vormen van oordeelsvorming (Hawkins & Pingree, 1982;Potter, 1993;Shrum, 1995): beeldvorming en attitudevorming, die elk een eigen karakter hebben en op verschillende manieren tot stand komen. Bij beeldvorming gaat het vooral om het inschatten van de prevalentie van bepaalde feiten (bijv.…”

The Social Reality of Depression: DTC Advertising of Antidepressants and Perceptions of the Prevalence and Lifetime Risk of Depression

“…Rooted in the assumption that television dominates the "symbolic reality of modern life" (Gerbner, et al, 1980, p. 5), cultivation theorists posit that the amount of television watching is positively related to the degree to which people's beliefs about particular features of social reality mesh with the way they are portrayed on television (Potter, 1993). This occurs because viewers tend to integrate television information into their conceptions of social reality (Potter, 1993).…”