Bint Ul Huda Mubashar

Perception is more
stronger than
reality.
 Dean of Annenberg School for
Communication,University of
Pennsylvania.
 Founder of the Cultural
Envirnment Movement.
 Theory of Cultivation –
”Cultural Indicators”
paradigm.
 Enlisted in the US Army.
 Cultivation theory is the Social Theory that
examines the long term effects of Television.
 This theory concentrates on specific medium
television.
 Cultivation theory predicts not the direct
impact on our thinking regarding some issues
but very way we perceive or view the world.
 Research conducted on cultivation theory
and television viewing reflects the idea that
high amouts of TV viewing can have an effect
on psychosocial health.
 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”
 Heavy Viewer: Those
who watch four or more
hours a days are labeled
heavy television
viewers.
 Light Viewers: Those
who view less then four
hours per days,
according to Gerbner
are light viewers.
 Moderate Viewers:
Those who watch
television, not more
then four hours ,nor less
then two hours.
 Television is fundamentally different from
other form of Mass Media.
 Television shapes the way individuals within
society think and relate to each other.
 Television’s effets are limited.
 There are Four attitudes that Gerbner focuses
on according to the Viewership
1. Chances of involvement with voilence
2. Fear of walking alone at night
3. Perceived activity of police
4. General mistrust of people
 For Example: A
person who watches a
lot of crime shows on
television will
eventually believe
that there is a lot of
voilent crime in the
city he resides in.
 In response to Hirsch’s criticism, Gerbner has
revised cultivation theory.He has added Two
additional concepts
1. Mainstreaming
2. Resonance
 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 viewrs of
high income don’t have this point of view.
 Resonance occurs when cultivation effects is
boosted for a certain group or population.
 For instance ,heavy viewers male and female
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
viewers,because their particular vulnerability
to crime is said to Resonate.
 Hawkins and Pingree research focused on
“demographic conditions like age and viewing
habits and psychological conditions that
included cognitive ability and perception of
television reality”.
 Hawkins and Pingree (1981) measured TV
viewing in terms of different genras of
programming and found different effects for
the differernt types of programs.
 The results of their research indicated that
“age or cognitive ability determined
cultivation”.
 Hughes and Hirsch (1980) re analyzed Gerbner’s
research using the same techniques Gerbner
used.
 Hughes re examined the researched
demographics of sex, age and income by
introducing confounding variables such as hours
worked per week, income and church
attendance.
 After re analyzing Gerbner’s data using those
confounding variables, Hughes and Hirsch
(1980) discovered the relationship between fear
and frequency of television viewing behavior
 Combines micro and macro level theories.
 Provide detailed explanations of TV’s unique
role.
 Applies empirial study to widely held
huministic assumptions.
 Redifined effect as more then observable
behavior change.
 Applies to wide variety o effects issues.
 Provided basis for social change.
 Its methodologically troubling to many.
 Assumes homogeneity of TV content.
 Focus on heavy users of TV.
 It is difficult to apply to Media used less
heavily than TV.