CMN 140: Introduction to Mass Communication

computation occurs in

gray matter (1 billion neurons)

information is transmitted via

white matter (aprox. 5 trillion axons)

the brain can be understood as a

unified collection of software programs

some of the software programs are innate

capacity for language

some of these software programs are learned

example through the english language

there is a tight coupling between the

hardware and software

the doctor applied a small electrical current which changed the nature of the brain and therefore

how the patient perceived the world

fusiform brain area of the temporal cortex impacts our

face perception (it’s quite modular)

hydrocephalus

water on the brain

in hydrocephalus there is missing

white matter that is replaced by fluid

hydrocephalus is what type of disease

congenital

in hydrocephalus most patients

lead normal, healthy lives

stroke

loss of oxygen/blood flow that leads to speech/motor deficits like Broca’s aphasia

some psychological processes can be

localized

Broca’s aphasia

partial loss of the ability to form language

Wernicke’s aphasia

leads to difficulty understanding language and producing coherent speech

our minds process

media

understanding media processing gives us insight into the

consequences (good and bad) of media use

automatic routines

sequences of learned behaviors that are enacted with little effort.

automaticity

a mental state where our minds operate without the perception of conscious effort.

main habits of media consumption

conscious interactions, self-regulation, and habit strength

when you first start using media what has not formed yet

habit strength

social cognitive theory

the mind has the ability to learn by observing others, seen through Bandura’s 1989 study

unintentional blindness

missing something because you are focusing on something else.

attention focuses as a

spotlight

attention can be

widely focused and narrowly focused

narrow focus enhances

one object at the expense of others

high media multitasker

do worse as multitasking

low media multitasker

do better at multitasking

media evolves rapidly while

our brains do not

twin studies show that media is heritable including

social media use, political talk, computer use, hours of watching TV, and news consumption.

evolved psychological programs for creating media

cave paintings. oral histories, campfire stories

narratives are

structured, easily imaginable, illustrate relationships, utilize exemplars, are well-remembered.

play and games are

tools for learning, low-cost opportunities to practice survival relevant behavior, and practice for coalition formation

some psychological processes are hardwired like the

startle response

some psychological responses are the result of learning like

what TV show you like

media use can become habitual,

things that were once volitional can become habitual.

observational media

we have the capacity to learn from media

attending to one thing

comes at a cognitive cost to unattended things

innovation stage

when a new piece of media technology is introduced and makes message transmission in a given channel possible.

innovation stage real life example

first movies were silent films due to difficulty synchronizing video and audio tracks.

innovation is characterized by 3 types of innovation

marketing, technological, psychological

marketing

a way to identify unique audiences and their needs with the goal of attracting audiences to a given message.

technological

engineering innovation that creates a new way to transmit messages.

innovation occurs through the

lifespan of technology

all that is old is

new again

psychological

when audiences see overlap between media technologies, and these overlaps create new opportunities for production and use.

penetration stage

when an innovation begins to gain mass acceptance.

diffusion of innovations model (Rogers, 1962)

people adopt different technologies at different rates.

,media displacement

when we start to use one type of media at the cost of use to another.

peak stage

when a technological innovation has reached market saturation

decline

market penetration starts to drop off (usually displaced by a competing technology.

the long tail book (2006)

revolutionary business book that talked about how to make content that appeals to as many people as possible while offending as few people as possible.

anderson’s rules for the long term economy #1

make everything available (there is money to be made even in the most niche content)

anderson’s rules for the long term economy #2

cut the price in half, now lower it

anderson’s rules for the long term economy #3

help me find it (use algorithms, recommendation engines, and user generated content to help consumers find niche media).

physical exposure

visual/auditory stimuli that exposes you to the media

just because you are physically exposed to a message

does not mean we process the information

perception is mediated by physical restraints

-RGB sensitive cones in the eye

-16Hz - 20,000 Hz frequency range (1,000-4,000 preferred)

encoding

short-term memory

storage

long-term memory

retrieval

when we draw on a memory for further processing.

central

careful conscious evaluation

peripheral

heuristic or unconscious processingcha

characteristics of developmental milestones shape

the way that children understand media

piaget’s sensorimotor stage

0-2 years old

piaget’s preoperational stage

2-7 years old

piaget’s concrete operational stage

7-11 years old

piaget’s formal operational stage

12+ years old

stage 1 of moral development: pre - conventional stage

2-7 years old, children depend on authority, child’s conscious is external

stage 2 of moral development: conventional stage

early adolescence, children begin to develop their own conscious and can internalize right from wrong

stage 3 of moral development: post - conventional stage

middle adolescence, social conscious > rigid moral rules

cognitive-type effect

media can effect what we know by planting ideas and information into our minds.

attitudinal type effect

the media can influence our type of judgements and simply accept that idea as our own.

physiological-type effect

media can influence our autonomic body systems

emotional type effect

media can make us feel emotions

behavioral type effect

media can trigger actions

macro-type effects

the media exerts their influence on larger units like organizations, institutions, and society.

television portrayals have socialized people to believe that

divorce and having children out of wedlock is acceptable.