Cultivation Theory Definition and Examples

Cultivation theory proposes that repeated exposure to media over time influences perceptions of social reality. Originated by George Gerbner in the 1960s, this theory is most frequently applied to television viewing and suggests that frequent television viewers’ perceptions of the real world become reflective of the most common messages advanced by fictional television. Key Takeaways: Cultivation Theory Cultivation theory suggests that repeated exposure to media influences beliefs about the real world over time.George Gerbner originated cultivation theory in the 1960s as part of a larger cultural indicators project.Cultivation theory has mostly been utilized in the study of television, but newer research has focused on other media as well. Cultivation Theory Definition and Origins When George Gerbner first proposed the idea of cultivation theory in 1969, it was in response to the tradition of media effects research, which was focused only on the short-term effects of media exposure that could be found in a lab experiment. As a result, effects research ignored the influence of long-term exposure to media. Such influence would happen gradually as people encounter media repeatedly over the course of their everyday lives. Gerbner proposed that over time, repeated exposure to media cultivated the belief that the messages conveyed by the media apply to the real world. As people’s perceptions are shaped by media exposure, their beliefs, values, and attitudes are shaped as well. When Gerbner originally conceived of cultivation theory, it was part of a broader â€Å"cultural indicators† project. The project pointed to three areas of analysis: institutional process analysis, which explored how media messages are formulated and distributed; message system analysis, which explored what those messages conveyed as a whole; and cultivation analysis, which explored how media messages impact the way the consumers of media messages perceive the real world. While all three components are linked, it is cultivation analysis that was and continues to be most widely researched by scholars. Gerbner’s studies were specifically dedicated to television’s impact on viewers. Gerbner believed that television was the dominant storytelling media in society. His focus on television rose out of several assumptions about the medium. Gerbner saw television as a resource for the most broadly shared messages and information in history. Even as channel options and delivery systems expanded, Gerbner insisted that the contents of television concentrated into a consistent set of messages.  He proposed that television restricts choice because, as a mass medium, television must appeal to large, diverse audiences. Thus, even as choices of programming proliferate, the pattern of messages remains the same. As a result, television will most likely cultivate similar perceptions of reality for very different people. As his assumptions about television indicate, Gerbner wasn’t interested in the impact of any one message or individual viewers’ perceptions of those messages. He wanted to understand how the broad pattern of television messages impact public knowledge and influence collective perceptions. Mean World Syndrome Gerbner’s original focus was on the influence of television violence on viewers. Media effects researchers often study the ways media violence impact aggressive behavior, but Gerbner and his colleagues had a different concern. They suggested that people who viewed a great deal of television became fearful of the world, believing that crime and victimization were rampant. Research showed that lighter television viewers were more trusting and saw the world as less selfish and dangerous than heavy television viewers. This phenomenon is called the â€Å"mean world syndrome.† Mainstreaming and Resonance As cultivation theory became more established, Gerbner and his colleagues refined it to better explain the influence of media by adding the ideas of mainstreaming and resonance in the 1970s. Mainstreaming happens when heavy television viewers who would otherwise hold very different views develop a homogenous view of the world. In other words, the attitudes of these divergent viewers all share a common, mainstream perspective that they cultivated through frequent exposure to the same television messages. Resonance occurs when a media message is especially noteworthy to an individual because it somehow coincides with a viewers’ lived experience. This provides a double dose of the message conveyed on television. For example, television messages about violence are likely to be especially resonant to an individual who lives in a city with a high crime rate.  Between the television message and the real-life crime rate, cultivation effects will be amplified, enhancing the belief that the world is a mean and scary place. Research While Gerbner focused his research on fictional television, more recently, scholars have expanded cultivation research into additional media, including video games, and different forms of television, like reality TV. In addition, the topics explored in cultivation research continue to expand. Studies have included the impact of media on perceptions of family, sex roles, sexuality, aging, mental health, the environment, science, minorities, and numerous other areas. For example, one recent study explored the way heavy viewers of the reality TV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom perceive teenage parenthood. The researchers discovered that despite the shows’ creators belief that the programs would help prevent teen pregnancy, heavy viewers perceptions were very different. Heavy viewers of these shows believed that teenage mothers had â€Å"an enviable quality of life, a high income, and involved fathers.† Another study found that television cultivates materialism and, as a result, people who watch more TV are less concerned about the environment. Meanwhile, a third study found that general television viewing cultivated skepticism about science. However, because science is also sometimes portrayed as a cure-all on television, a competing perception of science as promising was also cultivated. These studies are just the tip of the iceberg. Cultivation continues to be a widely studied area for mass communication and media psychology researchers.   Critiques Despite the ongoing popularity of cultivation theory among researchers and the research evidence supporting the theory, cultivation has been criticized for several reasons. For instance, some media scholars take issue with cultivation because it treats media consumers as fundamentally passive. By focusing on the patterns of media messages instead of individual responses to those messages, cultivation ignores actual behavior. In addition, the cultivation research by Gerbner and his colleagues is criticized for looking at television in aggregate without any concern about differences between various genres or shows. This singular focus came from cultivations concern with the pattern of messages across television and not the individual messages of specific genres or shows. Nonetheless, recently some scholars have investigated the way specific genres influence heavy viewers. Sources Gerbner, George. â€Å"Cultivation Analysis: An Overview.† Mass Communication Society, vol. 1, no. 3-4, 1998, pp. 175-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.1998.9677855Gerbner, George. â€Å"Toward ‘Cultural Indicators’: The Analysis of Mass Mediated Public Message Systems. AV Communication Review, vol. 17, no. 2,1969, pp. 137-148. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02769102Gerbner, George, Larry Gross, Michael Morgan, and Nancy Signorielli. â€Å"The ‘Mainstreaming’ of America: Violence Profile No. 11.† Journal of Communication, vol. 30, no. 3, 1980, pp. 10-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1980.tb01987.xGiles, David. Psychology of the Media. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.Good, Jennifer. â€Å"Shop ‘til We Drop? Television, Materialism, and Attitudes About the Natural Environment.† Mass Communication Society, vol. 10, no. 3, 2007, pp. 365-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205430701407165Martins, Nicole and Robin E. Jense n. â€Å"The Relationship Between ‘Teen Mom’ Reality Programming and Teenagers’ Beliefs About Teen Parenthood.† Mass Communication Society, vol. 17, no. 6, 2014, pp. 830-852. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2013.851701Morgan, Michael, and James Shanahan. â€Å"The State of Cultivation.† Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media, vol. 54, no. 2, 2010, pp. 337-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151003735018Nisbet, Matthew C., Dietram A. Scheufele, James Shanahan, Patricia Moy, Dominique Brossard, and Bruce V. Lewenstein. â€Å"Knowledge, Reservations, or Promise? A Media Effects Model for Public Perceptions of Science and Technology.† Communication Research, vol. 29, no. 5, 2002, pp. 584-608. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365002236196Potter, W. James. Media Effects. Sage, 2012.Shrum, L. J. â€Å"Cultivation Theory: Effects and Underlying Processes.† The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, edited by Patrick Rossler, Cynthia A. Hoff ner, and Liesbet van Zoonen. John Wiley Sons, 2017, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783764.wbieme0040

Academic Integrity Becomes The Breeding Ground For Ethics

Academic Integrity can be defined in six simple words: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage (ICAI). Through these values individuals are able to encourage academic communities to turn their ideologies into actions (ICAI). Therefore, Academic Integrity becomes the breeding ground for ethics in academia. When looking at cheating, plagiarism, maintaining academic standards, and maintaining a sense of honesty in levels of academia, the goal of academic leaders is to encourage positive values in students from Pre-K to Graduate Studies programs. For example, watching a child matriculate from elementary school to high school and understanding the reaction he or she may have about receiving their first research paper are†¦show more content†¦The world of academics operates like a corporation. So when students cheat on a test they are breaking a code of ethics in an academic corporation. Incidents like this show how a person’s own code of ethics va ries. Individuals, particularly students, show their sense of social responsibility through their use of ethics. One of the first places that ethics applies is in the world of academia; ethics in academia is first taught when teaching students about certain behaviors that are appropriate for the classroom. This is referred to as classroom conduct. When a student learns about classroom ethics, it may be hard for them to form their own opinions because they begin to question their own skills. They may cheat on a test or plagiarize on an essay, and these feelings may be equated with feelings of self-doubt; this shows how feelings enhance a person’s decisions. Another considerable factor is that religion and ethics are not one and the same. In every religion they have to achieve the highest of ethical standards. One should not identify their ethics with their religion; however, most religions have an ethical standard. Religion has the ability to set high ethical standards but it also has the ability to provide intense motivations for ethical behavior. Ethics on the other hand cannot be confined to religion either. So when looking at all of the many institutions that

The Foundation of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

Question: Discuss about the foundation of student non-violent coordinating committee? Answer: The Foundation of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was laid down on the base of the Civil Movement that took place in the 19th century. This movement was basically a mass popular movement to assure the Africans and the Americans equal rights and oppurtunities. This movement was mainly concentrated in the South of America. The Civil Movement was against the torture that being done on the blacks in America. Some of the major movements that SNCC took part in was Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides, a leading role in the march at Washington, Mississippi Freedom summer and the Mississippi Democratic Party for the next few years. Arranging and collocating sit-ins at anti-semitism segregated lunch stalls to dissent the pervadingness of Jim Crow and other types of racism were their main adopted roles. These sit-ins organized by the SNCC played a vital role in changing decision of the court and to expand the clause to cover acts of private discrimination (Bates). These sit-ins were being expanded to other local places like public parks, swimming pools, movie theatres etc. The facilities that were sponsored by taxes were closed to the Blacks and the responses of the Whites were at all point negative. After the experience of the SNCCs members with COFO and Mississippi Freedom Summer, it strengthened their antipathy towards the white liberals. Also one of the most remarkable incident that almost dragged the SNCC members towards breaking down of the group was the murder of Sammy Younge Jr. He was the first college going guy who was murdered for being involved in the civil movement. This particular incident left a black patch in the hearts of the SNCC members. The murder of this Black by a White supremacist and the immediate acquittal of the murderer created disenchantment in the group towards the protection of the federal government. Slowly differences cropped in among the group member (King). Few believed that this movement of non-violence would bring peace in the country while others believed that violence is the only answer to violence. Democratic Convention in 1964 marked the dissolution of unity in the group and hence set forth two different groups from there. From the evidences collected, Im of opinion that SNCC should adopt a militant approach in this civil movement of America as it should be structured in the manner that the only language for violence is violence. From the evidences wherein the speech of different people have been gathered, it is quite evident that most of the people werent satisfied with the results of the non-violent movement (Payrow Shabani). Martin Luther in his opinion says that Non-Violence only creates crisis, it doesnt seed out any positive changes into the society (Scholastic Teachers). The SNCC should frame a policy to give assurance to people that they can eradicate the problems out from the society only if they provide support. It should also take up guns in hand to shoot offenders who are creating terror, as good words are not meant for evil spirits. References: Bates, Denise E.The Other Movement. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2012. Print. King, Gilbert.Devil In The Grove. New York: Harper, 2012. Print. Payrow Shabani, Omid. 'The Green's Non-Violent Ethos: The Roots Of Non-Violence In The Iranian Democratic Movement'.CONSTELLATIONS20.2 (2013): 347-360. Web. Scholastic Teachers,. 'Civil Rights Movement: An Overview | Scholastic.Com'. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 June 2015.

Lab Report Essays - Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, Microorganism, Staining

Lab Report Morphological Unknown Lab Report Introduction: There are many types of microorganisms in the world that may seem alike but are very different in function and purpose. That is why when one has to find what an unknown organism is he or she sees that its difficult to classify it based on its outer appearance. That is why there are many ways in order to classify microorganisms under microscopes. Two of the ways to identify microorganisms are by looking at the colony and cell morphologies or by conducting a series of stain procedures on the microorganisms. A colony is a mass of microbial cells (Colome, Ex6:28). Morphology is the colony's structure and form. There are six parameters used to describe a colony's morphology: overall appearance, colony margin (edge), elevation, size, pigmentation, and consistency (Colome, Ex6:28). Although colony morphology isn't the best way to identify microorganisms, it's helpful in recognizing some types. The other more efficient way to identify microorganisms is by staining them. A stain is used to co lor a microorganism and its background. On September 25, 2000, each microbiology lab student was given an unknown microorganism and was told to use series of staining procedures to identify his/her unknown organism. The identification key on page 61b of the microbiology lab manual was used in identifying the unknown organisms. Science

Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dougl Essays

Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dougl Essays Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, near Hillsborough. He doesnt know for sure of his age, he has seen no proof and his master will not inform him. Most masters prefer for their slaves to stay ignorant. He believes that he was around twenty-seven and twenty-eight when he began writing his narrative - he overheard his master say he was about seventeen years of age during 1835. His mother, Harriet Bailey, was separated from him when he was an infant and she died when he was seven years old. Fredericks father was a white man who could have been his master but he never found out. Education was of utmost importance in his life. He received his first lesson while living with Mr. and Mrs. Auld. Sophia Auld, Fredericks "mistress", was very humane to him and spent time teaching him the A, B, Cs. After he mastered this, she assisted him in spelling three and four letter words. At this point in his lesson Mr. Auld encountered what his wife was doing for Frederick and forbid her to continue. He believed that "if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell" and continuing with "learning would spoil the best nigger in the world". The masters felt that an ignorant slave formed a choice slave and any beneficial learning would damage the slave and therefore be futile to his master. His next step on the road to success was during his seven years living with Master Hughs family. Frederick would make friends with as many white boys as he possibly could on the street. His new friends would be transformed into teachers. When he could, Frederick carried bread on him as a means of trade to the famished kids for knowledge. He would also carry a book anytime he had an errand to run. The errand would be completed quickly, allowing extra study time. When Frederick was working in Durgin and Baileys ship-yard he would notice timber marked with various letters. He soon discovered how the letters matched the type of wood and the names of these letters. Any boy he met that could write he would challenge them to a writing contest. Frederick would use the letters he recently learned and told the child to challenge that. He then copied the Italics in Websters Spelling Book until he knew them well. All this hard work and years of practice gave Frederick the knowledge to write. After his relocation to Mr. Freeland, who was the owner of two slaves, Frederick devoted his Sundays teaching these two and other slaves how to read. Frederick heard the word abolitionists a few times but it wasnt for a while until he found out what it meant. If a slave succeeded in escaping from his Master or performing a radical action such as burning a barn or killing his Master, it was considered to be a form of abolition. One day while running an errand, Frederick ran into two Irishmen hard at work. Frederick assisted the Irishmen and soon after they asked if he was a slave. The men then advised Frederick to run away to the north to find friends and freedom. Ever since this encounter he has dreamed of the day he could safely escape. An attempt to carry out his dreams surfaced during his stay with Master Thomas. He did not attempt to escape, however he regrets not doing so since the chances of succeeding are ten times greater from the city than from the country. Anthony, one of Fredericks two masters, was not a humane slaveholder. Frederick was awakened habitually by the sounds of his own aunt being whipped repeatedly because she was caught away for the evening with a man. Slaves, when unhappy, sing songs to help drown their sorrow. Frederick would often sing for this purpose, and not to express his happiness as some slaves also do. The men and women slaves received eight pounds of pork or fish and one bushel of corn meal monthly. On a yearly basis, they received very little along the lines of clothing. The children unable to work in the field were given two shirts per year. If they happen to wear out, the children would have to go naked until the next year. No beds were supplied, only coarse blankets. Master Thomas would not even give a sufficient amount of food to eat, which was usually mush (coarse boiled corn meal). This

Accounting for Management Decisions Research Paper

Accounting for Management Decisions - Research Paper Example In order to be highly competitive in the market, an organisation must be able to forecast future changes in customer needs and market trends. Organisations normally predict possible future market changes by assessing past and current market flows. For this purpose, an organisation deploys a number of business evaluation tools. Activity based costing, value chain analysis, and customer profitability are the three major frameworks that assist an organisation to evaluate its business flow. This paper conducts a detailed research to identify the core concepts, objectives, pros and cons, and applicability of each of these business evaluation methodologies. The paper includes an extensive literature review section and an analysis section. The major findings reflect that: †¢ Cost centre and cost driver are two core concepts of activity based costing †¢ Governance, innovation and upgradation, benchmarking, and product positioning are the key ideas of value chain analysis †¢ Cash flow, customer capital/equity, and customer as a real option constitute the core concepts of customer profitability †¢ The ABC approach greatly assists users to better identify their overheads with regard to activities and resources. †¢ The most advantageous feature value chain analysis is that this methodology assists its users to get a clear view of their core competencies The concept of customer profitability aids an organisation to identify its profitable customer groups and secure them from competitors. II. Introduction Today, organisations are widely using business evaluation tools like ABC, value chain analysis, and customer profitability analysis to evaluate their (organisations’) business feasibility and secure future profitability. Application of these tools assists firms to identify their pitfalls in supply chain activities, their potential strengths and weaknesses, and most profitable customer segments. Although all these three techniques are complex and time consuming, they are the best available tools to accurately evaluate a business concern. The ABC approach is mainly concerned with allocation of cost to various supply chain activities along with the firm’s resources whereas the value chain analysis explores activities that create value for the organisation and those do not create. The former method specifically focuses on profitability of each activity and process while the latter tries to define the organisation’s core competencies over its rivals. In contrast, the concept of customer profitability aids a firm to identify profits generated by its individual customers. All the three approaches are based on some core accounting and management concepts. The following sessions critically analyse these three business evaluation tools in detail. III. Literature review 1. Activity based costing Activity based costing (ABC) can be simply referred to a special costing approach that clearly identifies and defines activities in an organisation and allocates costs of each activity among all products and services based on actual consumption by each activity. According to the Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing-International (CAM-I), activity based costing is a costing model â€Å"that assigns cost activities based on their use of resources, and assigns costs to cost objects, such as products or custome rs, based on their use of activities† (Lewis, 1995, p.114). The ABC is a valuable accounting tool as it provides an organisation with more clear view of the product and process costs. This concept can be effectively employed to improve management decision making process and thereby promote the firm’

Role of Women in Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of Women in Vietnam War - Essay Example Vietnam women contributed actively in different capacities during the period. According to Mobile Riverine Force Asociation [mrfa], about â€Å"7,484 women served in Vietnam, of whom 6,250 or 83.5% were nurses† and others were active combats in the war (1). Women also contributed in other areas such as supporting the agricultural sector so as to provide enough food for men who were busy fighting for independence. Despite the visible contribution of women during the War period, gender inequality was the major factor limiting their full contribution. According to De Anza College, the majority of women serving in the army as active combats were perceived as helpmates rather than counterparts (1). There were reports that even the female soldiers did not get fair treatment and some of them experienced sexual harassment. Other functions of women in the War included serving as couriers, patrol guides and activists to publicize various organizations. Women were also motivated to contr ibute to the war against foreigners in order to secure freedom and also fight for equality. Women also took advantage of gender stereotypes by foreigners to enable them to achieve their intended objectives such as maintaining the supply of food and other consumables to their male counterparts (University of Utah, 1). On the other hand, it is important to note that Vietnamese women roles in the war resembled the roles of women in other communist revolutions in the world. Comparing the revolutions in Vietnam, Cuba, Russia, and China, all women involved in the four revolutions had an aim of fighting for equality in the society. Therefore, most women from the four regions formed part of the activist groups that advocated for equality and women representation in all sectors including being part of the government.