Johnson & Young- Topic 6 Impact of advertising on children (social) Flashcards
(29 cards)
Bandura
Found when children watched adult model behave aggressively, child tended to imitate behaviour. If likely to imitate real life models, may imitate what they see on TV.
Watersheds
Limit exposure children have to inappropriate content on TV, only limits exposure to negative behaviour influences e.g violence, sexual content- May still negatively be influenced by other content like gender, ethnic and class stereotypes.
Stereotyping in advertising
Ads try raise sales by modelling existing gender stereotypes, use of colours, settings, music & voiceovers, Toys for children often promote gender specific ideas. E.g female children shown playing with Barbies / Bratz dolls, boys shown action man and hot wheels advertised with male children. Gives child view certain toys are only appropriate for specific genders. Limiting children’s gender roles in ads limits children’s ideas of what should play with and how to play- encourages children to adopt roles & attitudes of their gender stereotype.
Key research: Johnson & Young: Gendered Voices in Children’s Advertising. Aim:
To determine whether advertisers script adverts differently for males and females.
Research Method
Content analysis where researchers coded filmed material shown in TV ads relating to boys & girls.
Method
No direct ps.
Sample consisted of 478 ads broadcast between beginning and ending of children’s TV programmes on commercial TV channels, regional channels in New England, USA and on Nickelodeon.
Ads broadcasted in 1996, 97 and 99.
Channels and ads were accessible to all TV owners
Ads were classified into 1 of 5 product categories:
1- Food items
2- Toys
3- Educational and public service announcements
4- Recreational facilities or locales
5- Video and movie promotions
How many toy commercials were selected as the focus for analysis?
188 commercials
Toy adverts were transcribed by their gender target audience using 3 categories:
1- Ads targeted to boys- in which boys were depicted.
2- Ads targeted to girls- in which girls were depicted.
3- Ads targeted to both boys & girls either because both genders were featured or because there was no gender specific content.
To learn more about broad themes & more specific discourse style relevant to gender specific ads; emphasis placed on elements of gendered voice:
4 aspects:
1- voice overs
2- verb elements
3- speaking lines given to girls and boys
4- use of word “power”
Researchers identified:
1- Gender in ads voiceovers
2- Presence of gender exaggeration in voices
3- Diff verb usage by gender- such as action verbs, feeling and nurturing verbs.
Results: Main focus of analysis on toy ads & found…
Overall boy-orientated adverts exceeded girl- orientated and there were relatively few ads directed to both boys & girls.
Results: Names of toys
Naming of toys reinforced gender specific attributes.
For example boy orientated boys had names such as “Big Time Action Hero” in contrast to toys named for girls who were called things like “Girl Talk”. Names of toys reinforce stereotypical gender roles that females take on nurturing qualities and boys like active, aggressive and competitive qualities.
Results in relation to types of toys advertised:
Boys- action figures such as Karate Fighters and Star Wars characters most common (37% of boy- oriented toys).
Girls- most commonly “possible figures” like Barbie dolls (44% of girl- orientated toys).
Girls were set in scenes with little or no activity unlike boys.
Results in voice overs used in ads:
Male voice over heard in every single boy-oriented and boy/girl oriented adverts.
89% of voice overs in girl-oriented ads contained female voices (majority) but there were some with male.
Exaggerated ‘gender stylisation’ was used in commercials for both boy & girl oriented ads- Boys= deep, loud and aggressive voice (80%) Girls= high-pitched, sing-song voices (87%) This was not common in ads for boy/girl oriented toys.
Results for frequency of verb element type:
Feeling/ nurturing verb elements absent in boy-oriented adverts but often present in girl-oriented.
Verb elements relating to competition & destruction heard frequently in boy-oriented ads but rarely in girl
Results: speaking in turns
More than half (>50%) of the girl-oriented ads contained speaking in turns, boys only had quarter (25%) of speaking in turns.
Results: scripted elements of gender relations
In ads where boys and girls appeared together, many instances of scripted elements of gender relations- boys dominant, strong, powerful- girls subservient, weak, gossipy, powerless.
Results: use of the word ‘Power’
One fifth (21%) of adverts for boy-oriented toys contained words ‘power’/’powerful’.
‘Power’ was only heard once in girl-oriented toy adverts.
Conclusions
Gender stereotypes underlie television adverts.
Portray males & females in traditional gender stereotypical ways through language (tone, use of vocab & other speech features).
This could manipulate children into gender-specific roles.
These differences are continued in ads due to previous success in marketing, profitability from gender specific toys increasing sales etc…
Reliability
Uses reliable methods to collect data.
TV ads analysed were recorded, could be watched repeatedly to determine behaviour being examined.
Used systematic coding to determine different gendered voices & use of language in ads-Other psychologists could watch same ads and use same coding system to see if achieve comparable results.
Research could be replicated with more recent ads using same coding scheme.
Useful
If parents made aware that TV and ads can influence their child’s behaviour in gender stereotypical ways they may be more likely to limit time child is exposed to TV programmes and ads.
Raises awareness of media sources.
Determinism
Conclusion has deterministic view.
Concept that media can influence children’s perceptions & behaviour relating to gender implies lack of free will in behaviour.
Consistent gender stereotyping in toy ads provide highly gendered messages to children influencing future behaviour- researchers not considered whether or not children watch the ads- children have free will to decide which toys they play with ( girl or boy oriented ).
Reductionism
Children may be influenced to behave gender-specific ways not only because of influence of TV ads. Parents may encourage gender-specific behaviour, toys they buy their kids consequently encourage this too. e.g boys bought toy cars discourage playing with dolls/ gender-neutral toys.
Other factors should be considered when determining how much influences TV ads have on behaviour.
