1. The “Theories of Uniform Influence” is also known as the “Magic Bullet Theory” or the “Hypodermic Theory”. The theory was originated in the late 1930’s during World War I. The theory holds that members of a society all have similar human nature and are alike in terms of emotions. The media broadcasts directly shape the opinions and actions of viewers. The information is fired to the viewer and guides their actions. The theory believes that the members of our society cannot escape mediated messages. People remain passive rather than investigate information presented by the media. An example of this theory is the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast by Orson Welles. It convicted people that an alien invasion had occurred. The legacy of fear had begun. Later on studies by Paul Lazardsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet found that not everyone was influenced by the mediated propaganda and made their own choices, such as the 1940 election between Wendell Wilkie and Franklin Roosevelt.
3. The “Disinhibition Theory” is a behavioral effect. Throughout our lives we have acquired a sense of moral and personal ethics. Some of these morals prohibit us from engaging in certain behaviors. Over time we become in contact with the media. These mediated messages can seem to alter our behavior and the way we view the world, this is called inhibitions. Once we lose our inhibitions we tend to behave in certain behaviors we wouldn’t have done otherwise.
4. The “Desensitization Theory” states that individuals who watch large amounts of violence become less sensitive and bothered by it over time. For example, sixth graders were less sensitive after watching a violent TV show then those who have never seen one. Desensitization is measured through attitudinal measures. Psychologists believe that the more violence you watch the less aroused you will get. Becoming less sensitive from violence in the media raises some concerns. If we become jaded to news of war and violence then these stories will not seem to bother us anymore. Even if we never like violence or behave violently, it doesn’t seem that serious. A major concern with desensitization theory has to do with women and sexual violence. Many students after watching a horror film showed less concern for victims of rape.
5. The “Sensitization Theory” is the opposite of desensitization theory, whereby viewers react strongly to violence in the media. The viewers are more likely to be traumatized by the mediated message and become more sensitive by it. This is more likely to occur to someone who has never seen any sort of extreme violence. A study showed that people who had a wondering imagination can more easily see themselves at the violence and feel the negative emotions that person would feel. The strongest sensitization effects come from violence that is real for example, the news. Sensitization is hard to study, therefore; desensitization occurs more often.
6. "Modeling Theory" or also known as "Social Cognitive Theory" is based on behavioral theory. In the Modeling Theory individuals learn behaviors by observing others performing those behaviors and try to imitate it. There are four sub functions for observational learning from the media. The first someone must be exposed to the media example. Second, he or she must remember the event. Third, the person must be able to translate the idea into action. Lastly, motivations must develop through internal or external reward. Social cognitive theory is usually involved in violence but still has other uses as well, in prosocial, sexual, and purchasing behavior. For example, children who view high risk behaviors on TV are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors themselves. David Phillips believed there was a correlation of the appearance of suicide in paper or on TV as the same as single car accidents or plane crashes. A famous example of the modeling theory was based on the book…… This book was banned from most bookstores because people started to commit suicide, just as the character in the book did.
7. The "Uses and Gratification Theory" places much emphasis on the role of the audience making choices and being goal oriented in its behavior. The experience of media depends on the uses one is putting those media to and gratifications one is receiving from them. For example, watching a horror film is very different for two people. One might feel empathy towards the victim, whereas, someone else might be entertained to the suspense of the plot. Two men by the name of Blumler and Katz developed the uses and gratifications model in 1974. The theory was devised into four parts, escapism, personal relationships, personal identity, and surveillance. In the uses and gratifications people are all different and have different needs. We use media for other reasons then entertainment. Perhaps it is to watch a star we like or avoid studying. An interesting study that came out of the uses and gratifications theory concerns the relationships with media characters we have never met in person. For example, news anchors are our dinner company then people who read the news. Due to types of media content people can create their own identity from things attractive in the media for example, a hairstyle. Surveillance nearly means the audience can gain understanding of the world around them by consuming media text for example, print or news. Another interesting fact is personality and mood variables can react with media use. For example, we can heavy TV viewing is more likely an effect rather than reason for personality or mood disorders. Two men by the name of Blumler and Katz developed the uses and gratifications model in 1974. The theory was devised into four parts, escapism, personal relationships, personal identity, and surveillance.
8.The “Agenda setting theory” is the creation of public awareness of concern of salient issues by the news media. The media doesn’t always tell us what to think but what to think about. The agenda setting theory usually follows politics and news, but is also relevant to other issues, like religion. One way agenda setting theory can be used is through is framing. News can influence what people believe by placing stories in a “frame”, that supplies context and suggest how people feel about an issues. McCombs and Shaw investigated Presidential campaigns in 1968, 1972, and 1976 and content-analyzed their work. McCombs and Shaw wanted to focus on awareness and information that was presented in the campaigns. The conclusion was that the agenda setting theory causes a correlation between media and the public ordering of priorities. The mass media has a significant influence on what voters considered to be major issues of the campaign. The people most affected by the media are those who have a high need for direction. The agenda setting theory is also consistent with the uses and gratifications approach. Theorist Tankard also studied the framing theory a lot.
9.The "cultivation theory" was originally developed by George Gerbner. The theory looks at the extensive and repeated exposure to the media over time gradually shapes our view of the world. Some of Gerber’s assumptions are, TV is different than all other media, TV is the central arm of the American society and TV’s central function is socialization. Gerbner began the cultural indicators research project in mid the mid 1960’s. He wanted to test whether watching TV may influence viewer’s ideas of how the world looks. One of the major constructs of the cultivation theory is mainstreaming. This happens through construction, where the viewers learn about the real world through the media. Resonance occurs when the constructed world and the real world of one’s experiences have a high degree of consistency. Cultivation theory research usually compares heavy and light viewers of TV. For example, people who watch a lot of TV believe the world is a violent place. Theorists believe that television has long term effects that are small but very significant. Another example of the cultivation is the popular TV show “Will and Grace”. Greenberg’s says that respected TV show characters at the top ratings can have more of an impact than a dozen other characters with fewer viewers. This show can help improve attitudes towards gay men.
1O."Schema Theory" or "Script Theory" is based on schemas, which of what guides the perception, comprehension, and memories of information from the media. A person will hold metal schemas based on past experiences. For example, our schemas about Latinos might be they wear sombrero. Someone might hold a negative schema to a Mexican American after they watched a show about them. The reverse could happen whereas someone with a positive schema can notice something different after watching the same show. We learn these schemas’s and scripts from the media. Script refers to a schema about an activity. The consequences of learning scripts in the media become clear when readers have little knowledge or script from their own life experiences. For example, a child watched a TV on how to deal with muggers. If the child tries the same moves as seen on TV he or she might be less successful. Schema should also provide both a prototype and attributes. For example, the prototype of a dog is a Labrador retriever and the attributes are friendly, four legged, and has a tail. Entertainment media like TV or film also focus on narrative scripts to make their shows more understandable. Meadowcroft and Reeves, found children by age 7 had well developed story schema. These skills lead to a better memory for the story content, reduction in processing effort and greater flexibility of attentions strategies.
11."Socialization theories" take a similar approach to the cultivation theory. Socialization theories stress how prolonged exposure to the media comes to teach us about the world and our role in it. For example, Meyrowitz and Postman argued that children are socialized into the role of adults than the past several hundred years. Television is a homogenization of developmental stages. Adults become more like children, and children become more like adults. Van Evra argued that the media effects on children are greatest when they believe the content to be realistic. The media, especially television, is very important for national and cultural socialization. For example, foreign children found TV to be more interesting and spent more time watching it than U.S. children. Also adult immigrants watched a lot of TV before and after arriving to the United States to learn about it. Socialization theories help us learn about the persuasiveness the media has on us. It does however need more specificity and more consideration of current social trends.
12. "Reinforcement Theory" is based on the attitudinal effect. All people possess mental collections of possible behaviors that can be used in various situations. If they come into contact with mediated content that is similar to their schema, that schema is reinforced. The mental schema becomes entrenched. Reinforcement is heightened if the mediated violence is rewarded, it occurs within a reinforcing context, violent characters are role models, it is similar to the views and shown as entertaining
