Media Effects(3)

Question 1

What is the definition of Media Effects?

Answer 1

A major tradition in mass communication research, it attempts to understand, explain, and predict the effect of mass media on individuals and society and relies primarily on tools rooted in the scientific method

Question 2

What is the Limited Effects Perspective?

Answer 2

argues that people generally engage in selective exposure and selective retention with regard to the media

Question 3

What is another name for the limited effects perspective?

Answer 3

the minimal-effects model

Question 4

What is the Spiral of Silence?

Answer 4

a theory that links the mass media, social psychology, and the formation of public opinion; the theory says that people who hold minority views on controversial topic tend to keep their views silent

Question 5

What is agenda setting?

Answer 5

a media-research argument that says that when the mass media focus their attention on particular events or issues they determine–that is, set the agenda for–the major topics of discussion for individuals and society

Question 6

What is the public sphere?

Answer 6

a space for critical public debate; the areas or arenas in social life–like coffee houses and meeting halls– where people come together to engage in public debate and open communication

Question 7

On average, how much time do Americans spend using social media per day?

Answer 7

10 hours per day

Question 8

What methodical approach is dominant in the study of media effects?

Answer 8

Social Scientific Approach grounded in statistical methods of inquiry

Question 9

What is mass society theory?

Answer 9

-1st theorizing
-media is powerful over society

Question 10

What is the hypodermic needle model and magic bullet theory?

Answer 10

says that media influences in a uniform, direct, and immediate manner

Question 11

What types of media messages did hypodermic needle model and magic bullet theory mostly focus on?

Answer 11

mostly focuses on conditioning of individuals by propaganda

Question 12

What is the limited effects perspective?

Answer 12

little power of media on individuals

Question 13

How does the limited effects perspective see consumers of media?

Answer 13

sees consumer as active, with media being indirect influences at best

Question 14

What is the two-step flow theory?

Answer 14

media influences opinion leader–>opinion leaders influence followers

Question 15

What were the main findings of Cantrill’s study?

Answer 15

showed that media can have powerful effects on some, but not all
-some risk factors make some susceptible

Question 16

According to Cantrill, what made someone more likely to be affected/influenced by media?

Answer 16

those influenced had higher isolation and insecurities

Question 17

What radio broadcast is used as an example of Cantrill’s study? Why?

Answer 17

“War of Worlds”(spread false info, and some believed it while other did not)

Question 18

What is the mixed effects perspective?

Answer 18

says that media may have moderate to powerful effects depending on the circumstances and the individual
-says most are moderate, but that does no make them unimportant

Question 19

What “matter” in the mixed effects perspective?

Answer 19

-awareness of media as potential influences matters
-consumption matters

Question 20

How does the mixed effects perspective differ from prior perspectives?

Answer 20

differs by recognizing a consumer that is a combination of an active consumer and a passive consumer

Question 21

What are the 4 myths of media effects?

Answer 21

1. that media is simple and direct
2. that media effects are obvious
3. that media effects must be large to be important
4. that media effects studies see the audience as passive

Question 22

Within which historical perspective of media effects does the myth that media effects are simple and direct fit into?

Answer 22

fits within the Powerful Effects Perspective

Question 23

What is the third-person effect?

Answer 23

-“it’s not me, it’s you”
-individual believes that they are not influenced by media, but other may be(easier to see characteristics in others than yourself)

Question 24

What two things might intensify the third person effect?

Answer 24

social distance
education

Question 25

How does Bushman and Anderson’s research relate to the myth that media effects must be large to be important?

Answer 25

research showed that cultivation of media effects could have a large effect, so cumulative effects can be larger than people assume

Question 26

What view does Social Cognitive Theory take of the audience?

Answer 26

views media consumption as a form of social learning for an individual(so can have a large effect)

Question 27

What are the 5 fundamental key concepts of media literacy?

Answer 27

1. Media are constructions
2. Audiences negotiate meanings
3. Media have commercial applications
4. Media is social and political
5. Media has its own unique aesthetic form