Deck 29: Cultivation Theory

Question 1

The overt expression of physical force (with or without a weapon, against self or others) compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt and/or killed or threatened to be so victimized as part of the plot is called:

A) dramatic violence.
B) dramatic license.
C) violent episode.
D) overt action.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT considered dramatic violence using Gerbner's index plan?

A) automobile crashes
B) natural disasters
C) verbal abuse
D) physical abuse in a cartoon format

Answer 2

C

Question 3

To be defined as a heavy viewer, one must watch at least:

A) two hours of television a day.
B) four hours of television a day.
C) six hours of television a day.
D) eight hours of television a day.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Another name that Gerbner uses for a heavy viewer is:

A) television type.
B) video viewer.
C) tube type.
D) couch potato.

Question 5

Heavy television viewers usually label themselves as:

A) blue collar.
B) politically conservative.
C) middle class.
D) politically liberal.

Question 6

The recurring dramatic theme on TV shows focused upon by Gerbner is:

A) sex.
B) violence.
C) materialism.
D) social class.

Question 7

Gerbner gauged the overall level of violence by looking at the:

A) percentage of programs that scripted violence.
B) rate of violence in programming.
C) percentage of characters involved in physical harm and killing.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 8

Gerbner found that:

A) over half of prime-time programs contain violence.
B) the rate of violence on television has increased over the years.
C) blue-collar workers are less likely to be victimized on television than white-collar executives.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 9

The term that describes the process of blurring, blending, and bending the opinions of heavy television viewers is:

A) resonance.
B) cultivation.
C) plowing the mind.
D) mainstreaming.

Question 10

Cultivation theory has been criticized:

A) for a variety of methodological problems.
B) for its overreliance on laboratory testing.
C) because Gerbner's prose is often obscure and nonlinear.
D) because the correlation between hours watched and the tendency to give "television answers" is statistically insignificant.

Question 11

Gerbner chose to allow cartoon action to be characterized as violence if it met other criteria.

Question 12

According to George Gerbner, for resonance to occur, an individual must have had firsthand experience with violence that resembles the content shown on TV programs.

Question 13

Cultivation theory predicts that the effects of television viewing are discernible almost immediately after a person begins watching television.

Question 14

Even though those with heavy TV viewing habits call themselves moderates, George Gerbner and his associates studying cultural indicators noted that their positions on social issues are decidedly conservative.

Question 15

The politics of why media organizations produce violent programming is beyond the scope of cultivation theory's tenets.

Question 16

Cultivation differential is the difference in the percent giving the "television answer" within comparable groups of light and heavy viewers.

Question 17

Both light and heavy TV viewers overestimate the possibility that they will be the victims of violence in the near future.

Question 18

To illustrate the mainstreaming effect, George Gerbner showed how heavy TV viewers become conscious of economic and political distinctions.

Question 19

Most of George Gerbner's survey results reveal a small but statistically significant relationship between TV consumption and fear of becoming the victim of a crime.

Question 20

As per George Gerbner's observation, television homogenizes its audience so that those with heavy viewing habits share the same orientations, perspectives, and meanings with each other.

Question 21

________ is the overt expression of physical force (with or without a weapon, against self or others), compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt and/or killed or threatened to be so victimized as part of the plot.

Question 22

For those with real-life experiences with violence, the ________ process can amplify the cultivation effects.

Question 23

________, also called heavy viewers, watch on average at least four hours of television daily.

Question 24

The ________ states that when people make judgments about the world around them, they rely on the smallest bits of information that come to mind most quickly.

Question 25

How does Gerbner define television violence and how does he test for its presence?

Question 26

According to Gerbner, which characters are most at risk in violent televised dramas? What are the consequences of his findings?

Question 27

How do light viewers differ from heavy viewers? What are the consequences of these differences?

Question 28

How would you describe your own viewing habits and those of members of your family or household? What do you believe are the consequences of these patterns of television exposure?

Question 29

What is mainstreaming? Provide an example.

Question 30

Dave is a heavy television viewer who watches the "tube" every night after work, usually from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. So what? What would Gerbner predict about Dave? Be as specific as possible. How does he differ from Barb who occasionally watches only a home improvement show?

Question 31

In your opinion, how important is a +.091 correlation between hours spent in front of a television set and the subsequent tendency to give "television answers" to questions about the likelihood of violence, sex role attitudes, political viewpoints, and so forth?

Question 32

How does the proliferation of hundreds of specialized cable channels affect Gerbner's approach to media effects?

Question 33

Discuss how Fisher would respond to the following quote from early in the chapter: "At its root, television is society's institutional storyteller, and a society's stories give 'a coherent picture of what exists, what is important, what is related to what, and what is right'" (356). Correspondingly, how might Fisher theorize about the commitment of Gerbner and his associates to change "the stories that American television tells"?

Question 34

How would Gerbner react to McLuhan's famous axiom, "the medium is the message"?

Question 35

How would Hall interpret the survey research data collected by Gerbner and his associates?

Question 36

Using the criteria for evaluating a scientific theory, how well would Gerbner's theory stack up? What are the strength and weaknesses of cultivation theory?

Question 37

In the context of media cultivation, discuss how Michael Morgan's use of the gravitational field metaphor differs from the cue ball metaphor used by George Gerbner.

Question 38

Given Katz' interest in the driving mechanism that leads to media use and Gerbner's emphasis on the effects of medium on the consumer, how compatible are their theories?