Theories of Media Effects Final

The "I" vs. the "Me" (William James, 1890/1981)

The "I" represents the knowing self, while the "me" encompasses all objective aspects of the self, such as roles and feelings.

Working Self-Concept (Markus & Kunda, 1986)

The specific set of self-characteristics that are active or accessible in a person's mind at a given moment.

Ideal Self and Ought Self (Strauman, 1996)

The ideal self is who we want to be, while the ought self is who we believe others expect us to be.

Self-Discrepancy Theory (Higgins, 1987)

Explains how gaps between the actual self and the ideal or ought selves lead to negative emotions like anxiety.

Possible Selves (Markus & Nurius, 1986)

Future-oriented goals or representations of what individuals might become.

Objective Self-Awareness (Duval & Wicklund, 1972)

A state where the self becomes the center of attention, often leading to self-evaluation.

Looking Glass Self (Cooley, 1902)

The idea that our self-image is shaped by our perception of how others see us.

Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954)

The process of judging oneself against targets (upward or downward) to gauge status or desirability.

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979)

Suggests that the social groups an individual identifies with provide a framework for defining the self.

Identification (Cohen, 2001)

An imaginative process where an audience member merges with a character, taking on their perspective and goals.

Temporarily Expanded Boundaries of the Self (TEBOTS) (Slater et al., 2014)

A model proposing that humans seek stories to temporarily escape the limitations and stresses of their individual identity.

Mediated Wisdom of Experience (MWOE) (Slater, Oliver, & Appel, 2016)

The idea that meaningful narratives allow viewers to encounter "life's verities" (like loss and change) vicariously.

Media Psychophysiology (Potter & Bolls, 2012)

The application of brain science and physiological indicators to study how individuals process media.

Intervening Processes (Potter & Bolls, 2012)

Mental and physiological activity that occurs between media exposure and a behavioral response.

Triangulation

The process of using physiological measures, self-reports, and behavioral observations together to gain a complete picture of media effects.

Skin Conductance (Electrodermal Activity)

A measure of sweat gland activity used as a reliable indicator of sympathetic arousal and emotional intensity.

Facial Electromyography (Facial EMG) (Fridlund & Cacioppo, 1986)

Electrodes placed on facial muscles to detect minute contractions that reveal emotional valence (positive or negative).

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

A brain imaging technique that utilizes the BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) effect to map active brain regions.

Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 2009)

Posits that individuals learn aggressive behaviors through observational learning and reinforcement.

Desensitization Theory

Suggests that repeated exposure to media violence leads to emotional and cognitive habituation, making viewers indifferent to real-world aggression.

Priming Theory (Jo & Berkowitz, 1994)

The process where media content activates violent schemata (mental frameworks) or scripts in the brain, making them temporarily more accessible.

General Aggression Model (GAM) (Anderson & Bushman, 2002/2018)

A unified framework identifying how personal and situational factors influence cognitive, affective, and arousal routes to aggression

Sexual Script Acquisition, Activation, Application Model (3AM) (Wright, 2011)

A model explaining how media serves as a source for guidelines (sexual scripts) that dictate sexual behavior.

Sexual Objectification

The portrayal or perception of individuals as sexual objects rather than whole human beings.

Non-recognition Stage (Clark, 1973)

A stage in representation models where a social group (such as Asian Americans) appears so infrequently it barely registers in studies.

Chronic Accessibility

The result of repeated activation of a stereotype over time, leading to long-term shaping of social reality (cultivation).

Intergroup Emotions (Atwell Seate & Mastro, 2017)

The theory that individuals with high group identification will experience collective emotions when exposed to mediated threats.

Eudaimonia

A term derived from Aristotle referring to happiness rooted in personal growth, meaning, and connection to the human experience.

Appreciation (Oliver & Bartsch, 2010)

A term for serious, pensive reactions to meaningful media, as opposed to hedonic "enjoyment".

Elevation (Haidt, 2003)

A self-transcendent emotion triggered by witnessing moral beauty or virtue, motivating individuals to be better people.

Awe (Keltner & Haidt, 2003)

Amazement elicited by perceptually vast stimuli, such as natural landscapes or symbolic greatness.

Kama Muta (Zickfeld et al., 2019)

A concept referring to the physical and emotional state of being "moved" or "touched" by displays of love or communal connection.

Advertising Effectiveness

A microscopic, advertiser-centered view measuring how well a campaign met marketing goals like sales or brand awareness.

AIDA Model (Lewis, late 1800s; Strong, 1925)

The classic hierarchy of effects: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Rational Appeals (Hard-sell) and Emotional Appeals (Soft-sell)

Messaging strategies focusing on functional benefits versus emotional triggers like humor or fear.

Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM) (Friestad & Wright, 1994)

Suggests that consumers act as "sentries" who use their knowledge of marketing tactics to resist persuasion.

Transfer Deficit (or Video Deficit) (Barr, 2013)

The difficulty young children (under two) have in applying information learned from a 2D screen to the 3D world.

Amount of Invested Mental Effort (AIME) (Salomon, 1981)

The purposeful mental energy a child expends to process content.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

The developmental ability to understand that others have distinct mental states, intentions, and beliefs.

Capacity Model (Fisch, 2000)

Argues that children learn best when educational content is "tightly woven" into a story's narrative, as they have limited cognitive resources.

Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) (Witte, 1992)

A fear-appeal model where audiences balance threat appraisals with efficacy appraisals.

Danger Control vs. Fear Control

Adaptive responses to efficacy (danger control) versus maladaptive reactions like denial (fear control).

Risk Convergence Model (So & Nabi, 2013)

Explains how identification with narrative characters can reduce social distance and increase personal risk perceptions.

Mood Management Theory (MMT) (Zillmann, 1988)

Explains how individuals select media to regulate their internal states, seeking to prolong positive moods and disrupt negative ones.

Affective Disposition Theory (ADT) (Zillmann & Cantor, 1976)

Contends that enjoyment is a function of "moral monitoring," where we cheer for liked characters and wish for the downfall of disliked ones.

Interactive Storytelling (Murray, 1997)

The integration of narrative messages with user interactivity, allowing players to co-create the content.

Spatial Presence

The feeling of "being there" in the virtual environment.

Downward Spiral Model (Slater et al., 2003)

Combines selection and media effects to explain how aggressive individuals seek violent content, which then increases their aggression.

Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) (Reeves & Nass, 1996)

The paradigm that users apply social rules of human interaction to computers and machines.

MAIN Model (Modality-Agency-Interactivity-Navigability) (Sundar, 2008a)

Explains how specific interface features trigger heuristics (mental shortcuts) that influence credibility judgments.

Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME) (Sundar et al., 2015)

Differentiates between the cue route (heuristics based on affordances) and the action route (engagement based on physical interaction).

Affordances (Gibson, 1979)

The inherent action possibilities provided by a technology (e.g., swiping, sharing, visibility).

Context Collapse (Marwick & boyd, 2011)

The flattening of multiple social audiences (friends, bosses, parents) into a single digital space.

Privacy Paradox (Barnes, 2006)

The discrepancy between a user's stated concerns about privacy and their actual self-disclosure behaviors.

Warranting Theory (Walther & Parks, 2002)

Suggests users seek information that cannot be easily manipulated by the source to judge a person's true identity.