influence o Love o Sex o Crime assumption Communication 226 Social Impact of Mass Media Fall 2015 Notes 9 14 15 Disclaimer Notes are taken from class and course materials used in class and do not reflect student s original thoughts Movies are the dominant form of mass media in the early days Why World War 1 propaganda Payne Fund Studies 13 studies published in 10 volumes o Content analysis o Measuring emotional responses Movies are more immersive than other types of mass media so they might have more Most movies used to be categorized 3 ways The main research is not focused on viewer but on content main influence is mostly Categories are rather arbitrary inconsistencies in grouping of films Measuring emotional responses is more quantitative more consistent o Switching attention to audiences Issue can be that when participants are under study they try to control their body functions so you need a control group 7Magic Bullet Theory Orson Welles The War of the Worlds broadcast Leads to a simplified magic bullet approach Early paranoia about the dangerous impact of media on the masses Idea that if message is there it will come to whole mass and it will come Propaganda Movies Frank Copra makes movies about World War II o The Battle of Britain Prelude to War Limited Effects Theory o The ceiling effect the audience is already influenced as much as they can be when they consume media so the media doesn t really have a huge effect o Control groups o Selective exposure Choosing the media that you re exposed to impacts how much the Selective Exposure media influences you Many other types o Macro vs Micro level o Specific content vs cultivation o Alteration vs Stabilization o Attitude vs behavior vs cognition 9 16 15 Viewed film The Battle of Britain 9 18 15 Third Person Effect Definition Willingness to subscribe to the logical inconsistency inherent in maintain that the mass media influence others considerably more than one s self Very prevalent in media effects research Persists regardless of the experimental set up conditions participants etc Significant in political communication media government adversity health and environmental communication o Degree of media influence under question o Assumption of being influenced less by media than others o Very common in research suspicious because it holds every time Examples Why Media Communication Political communication Censorship Idea that we are not affected by we should keep Idea that everyone knows propaganda is deliberate but it still exists others from being affected by the media people see the product and buy it so it becomes desirable so I will buy it recycling so I don t have to today and In terms of health issues It is going to happen to other people but it s not going to happen to me Idea of I won t buy a product as a direct result of a commercial other People think say Other people are Health and Environmental Communication Advertising 1 Self Enhancement Everyone thinks they are not as open to influence as everyone else they assume they have more self control than they actually do 2 Need for control 3 Projection will say what sounds better perceivably 4 Attributional biases 5 Focus of attention we think so people have lesser cognitive focus 6 Media schemas Media is so well done and controlled deliberate it s impossible to escape the influence of media 7 Perceived Media Exposure 8 Self categorization 9 Lack of access to own mental processes Assumption that someone who watches 1 hour a day of TV will be less influences than someone who watches 5 hours a day Factors Message content and the first person effect If message is positive first person effect happens more likely to apply concept to my own life if message content is negative third person theory happens that won t happen to me mentality Message attributes Nature of the others and social distance social distance increases power of 3d person effect Individual factors do not matter Consequences Either defiance o Censorship o Cultural segregation or Compliance 9 21 15 Social Cognitive Theory Why do we behave as we do o Example Other people are a watching a film so I will o Consumption o Propaganda Thoughts attributes behaviors are determined by 3 factors o Behavior o Personal characteristics o Environmental factors Important for us is the idea of learning through observation Distinctly Human Traits Symbolizing capacity language Self regulation setting goals Self reflection assessing performance Vicarious capacity observation Component Process of Modeling Attention should direct cognitive prowess to what you re being exposed to should be paying attention Retention remembering what you see after exposure is finished Motor Reproduction physical capacity to unknowingly repeat the same behavior Motivation o Incentives o Punishments Effects of Modeling Inhibitory Disinhibitory a moral conflict o New information on the observation of behavior restrains a person from acting in a previously learned way o Usually related to limiting undesirable behaviors o Losing inhibition about acting in a certain way upon exposure with media or after o Can be justified in multiple ways displacement of responsibility diffusion attribution of blame morality exonerative comparison comparing to others behavior but fining small differences to justify distinguish behavior Robin Hood effect o Reach conclusion only through observation of others consequences of inhibitory is most likely because it keeps you from acting in a way o Clich example for this media and violence negative views can be reversed and they can be encouraged to be more violent o No reversal of thinking but you find an excuse reason In Media Effects Research Cultivation Viewing disinhibitory content on media Social prompting persuasion priming Diffusion by way of symbolic meaning Leaning good things 9 23 15 Discussion led by students powerpoint online 9 25 15 Bandura s Social Cognitive Theory for Personal and Social Change by in Media Three Major Components 1 Theoretical Model 2 Translational Implementational Model 3 Social Diffusion Model Dual pathos of influence Direct Socially Mediated socially is said to have a greater effect than direct Efficacy Developed in 4 ways 1 Through making of experiences 2 Social modeling 3 Persuasion 4 Construal of physical emotional sides Collective Efficacy Emphasizes the idea of community living together Differential modeling on TV 3 types 1 Positive 2 Negative 3 Transitional TV Modeling Methods Vicarious