Commun 2100 Unit 3 exam

How is the study of media effects defined?

A major tradition in mass communication research. It attempts to understand, explain, and predict the effects of mass media on individuals and society and relies primarily on tools rooted in the scientific method.

What is the limited effects perspective?

A mass communication research model based on tightly controlled experiments and surveys; it argues that people generally engage in selective exposure and selective retention with regard to the media

What is the spiral of silence?

A theory that links the mass media, social psychology, and the formation of public opinion: the theory says that people who hold minority views on controversial issues tend to keep their views silent

What is agenda setting?

the ability of the media to influence public opinion about which issues the government should address

what is the public sphere?

a space for critical public debate (coffeehouse)

On average, how much time do Americans spend using media per day?

ten hours

What methodological approach is dominant in the study of media effects?

Social scientific approach

what is the mass society theory?

media has a powerful influence over society

what is the hypodermic needle model and magic bullet theory? What types of media messages did these powerful effects studies mostly focus on?

Media influence in uniform, direct, and immediate manner
- conditioning of individuals by propaganda largely the concern of such models

What is the limited effects perspective

media holds little power on people

What is the two-step flow theory?

Media doesn't influence consumers directly, but it influences opinion leaders and opinion leaders influence people

What radio broadcast is used as an example Cantrill's study and what were his main findings?

War of the world broadcast, media can have powerful effects
- those influences had higher isolation and insecurities

What is the mixed effects perspective? How does it differ from prior perspectives?

Media may have moderate to powerful effects depending on the circumstances and the individual.
- most are moderate but not unimportant
-awareness of media as potential influences matters
- Consumption matters

What is the 1st myth of media effects? Within which historical perspective of media effects does this myth fit?

Simple and direct
- Comes from the times of a powerful effects perspective
- early com research
- hypodermic needle/magic bullet
- effects are direct, uniform, and large

What is myth #2?

media effects are obvious

What is the third-person effect?

Not me it's you, intensified with social distance, particularly observable with increased education

What is myth #3? How is Bushman and Anderson's research related to this myth? Why might we want to consider cumulative effects of media?

Media effects have to be large to be important we would want to consider the cultivation effect because the more we consume things the more we expect the world to match that. Bushman and Anderson's research relates to this myth because it shows that little things can turn into something big and the correlation of things

What is myth #4? What view does social cognitive theory take of the audience?

Media effects studies see the audience as passive. The theory of social cognitive is that we learn by doing
- Behavioral, personal, and environmental factors all play a role

What are the 5 "fundamental key concepts" of media literacy displayed in the video?

1. media has commercial implications (money)
2. media is social and political in nature
3. Audiences negotiate meaning
4. Media has its own unique aesthetic form
5. Media is constructions constructed by individuals

What is a social learning agent?

Something that is influential in teaching social norms to other people
- learn by watching

What are the four learning steps within social cognitive theory?

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Production
4. Motivation

What is the cultivation hypothesis?

heavy media consumers are more likely than light or moderate to think that media are a reflection of reality

What is mainstreaming?

People have similar beliefs to what they are seeing

What is resonance?

If what we see in reality mirrors what we see in the media, it strengthens the effects

What is the aggressor effect?

exposure to violent media increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

What is priming?

activation of a concept makes them more accessible and more likely to be used in the short term

What is cognitive disinhibition?

lack of consequences or positive reward lower inhibitions toward aggression

What is excitation transfer?

physiological arousal transferred to next stimulus often in same affective valence direction

What is the mean world syndrome?

repeated exposure to violent media leads to an over estimation of real-world violence and victimhood

What is the conscious numbing effect and its outcomes?

Exposure to violent media reduces empathy, sensitivity, and reinforces rape myth acceptance

what are the three facets of desensitization discussed?

1. More calloused attitudes toward violence directed toward others
2. Lower physiological and emotion response to violence
3. Lower likelihood to intervene

What is the "box of masculinity"?

Men are supposed to be aggressive and tough. If you step out of the "box" you are weak/soft.

What is the "tough guise"?

The role men play to hide their emotions

What is the "cool pose" and how does it relate to race and socio-economic status?

Acting like you are cool/tough
- men use this to keep up their socio-economic status of masculine/tough

How does the Bushmaster ad reflect the cultural belief system about manhood and violence?

That violence should be the first method of proving manhood
- connects masculinity to guns

What is the "covert depression" and what effects does it have?

The fear of being less than a real man, effects them when it comes to taking care of themselves

% Of women in media

42% of primetime TV
28% of G-rated characters

What are the three types of effects of gender representation?

stereotyping, behavior, and identity

How is stereotyping defined?

application of a standardized image or concept to members of a group, usually based on limited info

What is stereotype threat?

the experience of anxiety in a situation in which a person has the potential to confirm a negative stereotype about his or her social group

What is sexual objectification?

The female body viewed as a sexual object, beauty is defined and equated with sexiness

What is self-objectification?

idea of focusing on your self-worth in terms of your appearance and focusing on your body and how others see it

What is body esteem?

Satisfaction with appearance, can be on various body features

What is the most important thing to understand about the way beauty standards affect us

The image of beauty that is portrayed in the media is most times the smallest percentage of female body types in reality.

What is the link between self-objectification and political efficacy?

When self-objectification increases, political efficacy decreases

What is symbolic annihilation?

The absence of representation or underrepresentation of some groups of people in the media
- means of maintaining social inequality

What is the definition of prosocial effects?

Effects of media that are "socially desirable and which in some way benefits other persons or society at large"

What are six examples of prosocial media efforts?

1. Learning
2. Job training
3. Health
4. Activism
5. Entertainment
6. identity development

What is the "uses and gratifications" theory?

what we do with media rather than what it does to us

What is entertainment theory?

Psychological processes of cognitive and affective enjoyment of media

What is mood management theory?

how individuals select media to maintain emotional homeostasis to a desire affective state

What is the idea of Entertainment Education?

the process of designing and implementing media content to educate and entertain

What is mindlessness?

cognitive activity that occurs outside of our consciousness

What is potter's theoretical model of media literacy?

We need to be aware of various things
media content: pov of who constructs it
media industries: falls under media industries
media effects: how it affects us
self: aware of yourself

What is digital literacy?

relates to digital forms of expression and communication, ability to use and understand information from digital sources, ability to create digital media

What is the idea of "learning by being"?

doing things digitally as experimental learning

What are three facets of participatory culture?

1. Relatively low barriers to artistic expression & civic engagement
2. Strong support for creating & sharing with others
3. Informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novice

True or False: Media effects research attempts to understand, explain, and predict effects SOLELY on individuals and NOT society.

False

True or False: Spiral of Silence suggests that those in the minority opinion do NOT fear social isolation and will therefore express their minority opinions.

False

Janice and Tyler get into a lively debate at their local coffee shop in regards to a new proposed law that would move the closing time of bars to 12:30am. What is this an example of?

Public sphere

Dr. Josey mentioned two things that might intensify the 3rd person effect. What are they?

Education, and social distance

If major media news companies such as FOX, CNN, CBS, and MSNBC are all covering issues regarding climate change, I, as an audience member, might believe that this is the biggest issue facing the United States today. This is an example of what theory?

Agenda setting

True or False: Stereotyping is defined as application of a standardized image or concept to members of group, based upon limited information.

True

______ is when a group is not represented or is underrepresented in the media.

symbolic annihilation

How frequently are men depicted as characters on primetime TV?

58%

What are the types of effects of gender representations?

Stereotyping, behavior, identity

True or False: Women with high self-objectification have high political efficacy.

False

According to the lecture, learning about American Football by playing as Tom Brady in Madden 2020 best exemplifies which digital literacy concept?

Learning by being

______________ Theory describes the psychological processes of cognitive and affective media enjoyment.

Entertainment

Bob recently learned he has cancer. He begins to search the web for information regarding survival rates. Bob's behavior is one example of Pro-Social Media use.

true

Participatory Culture involves which of the following according to Henry Jenkins and Lecture?

Lowers barriers to engagement

Cognitive activity that occurs outside of our consciousness is best described as mindlessness.

true

True or False: According to Tough Guise, the "cool pose" was adopted by minority groups to elevate their status.​

True

Explain the relationship between the "box of masculinity" and the "tough guise."

​The tough guise is a front put up by men to appear as if they conform to the expectations of what a "real man" is/should be (i.e., the box of masculinity).

Which of the following is a reason why the argument that men are predisposed to violence is problematic?

It overlooks cultural influences

After watching a violent movie, individuals were asked about potential endings for this four-letter word: K I _ _. ​
Most people answered with words such as "kill" or "kick." Which of the following explains this phenomenon?​

priming

True or False: Excitation transfer refers to when the affect of a stimulus is moved to subsequent stimuli.​

true