T192 Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I Continue watching Miss Representation II The Media Matter III Gender Matters Outline of Current Lecture IV Children in the Media V Stereotypes VI The Reflection Hypothesis and Symbolic Annihilation VII The Scientific Perspective VIII The Scientific Process IX Generating Knowledge Current Lecture Children in the Media o Children spend around 7 hours a day with the media o They are often persuaded more o They lack real world experiences and may see something that is fictional but may see it as reality o The point here is that kids media intake matters because they are more vulnerable Stereotypes o Stereotypes when our over generalizations become over simplistic Deny the importance of individual characteristics These can sometimes become prejudices o Sex Role Stereotypes a set of portrayals of sex appropriate appearance interests skills behaviors and self perceptions In the article read for class Tuchman argues that stereotypes like these are very persuasive If one doesn t conform to these stereotypes one is seen as inadequate to others o This is especially true when you are in the media spotlight Not conforming to the stereotypes is more newsworthy than anything else The Reflection Hypothesis and Symbolic Annihilation o The mass media reflect dominant social values Doesn t reflect reality as it exists but as we want it to be By only showing an idealized world the media fail to reflect a realistic one Women in the media are symbolically annihilated because only idealized versions of women and women s lives are discussed shown As a result o Women are shown less often than men are o Women are less often the protagonist o Women are white thin young and beautiful o Women are virginal yet know what to do in the bedroom o Work life balance issues are rarely discussed o Has it gotten better A study by Stacey Smith 2011 analyzed top grossing films in 2007 and the results were as follows Males have more roles than females do Females are frequently sexualized Storyteller s affect what is on screen Results didn t change in 2008 When a woman is in charge behind the camera script producers directors etc women s speaking roles jumped 50 and women were less sexualized The Scientific Perspective o Non scientific ways of knowing o Problems Could be making poor or dangerous decisions o What is Science Knowledge gained by systematic study o Characteristics Systematic Replicable Made public Goes through peer review processes The Scientific Process o Theory Hypothesis Observation Generalization o It happens the same way no matter what research you are doing Generating Knowledge o Content Analysis Describes messages Allows you to make comparisons Over time between groups to reality Advantages Systematic and replicable Unobtrusive don t have to recruit participants Easy to make comparisons Limitations No info about processes or effects o You can make guesses but have to prove those guesses in some other way o Surveys Describes characteristics of a population Examines relationships between variables Advantages Representative Naturalistic Limitations Can t establish causation Could have a 3rd variable playing a role Can only establish a relationship o Experiment Isolates effects of specific variables Establishes causality Usually have treatment and control group so you can see the differences and look at your variables Advantages Control Limitations Limited generalizability o It can be artificial due to labs and created areas o Choose the method based on your questions and interests Also look at what is ethical Ex You can t harm your participants