The media effects theory we explored this week was cultivation theory. Cultivation theory is a theory that developed as one attempt to explain the influence of television on its viewers (p. 109, Bryant, Thompson, and Finklea, 2013). Also, cultivation proposes that over time, heavy viewers of television develop or cultivate views of the world similar to what they see on television, generally a "mean" world filled with violence and crime (p. 109, Bryant, et al, 2013). My definition of cultivation theory is a theory used to measure the effects television (mostly violence and crime) has one the viewers who watch it heavily. In the chapter on cultivation theory, one main idea that stood out to me was that people who watch a lot of television
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The third idea that stood out to me was central and peripheral routes of persuasion. The central route involves much cognitive effort because a person listens carefully to arguments and thinks things through deliberately before arriving at a conclusion; while the peripheral route is based on a person's attitudes and beliefs on what is said by an attractive spokesperson or an expert, for example (p.115, Bryant, et al, 2013). Cultivation theory is researched in many parts of the world. One study was done by Brian Quick in 2009 about the effects of viewing Grey's Anatomy had on perceptions of doctors and patient satisfaction. The study examined the effect that watching Grey's Anatomy could have on viewers' attitudes and beliefs about their real-world doctors (p. 117, Bryant, et al, 2013). During the study, two hundred sixty-nine participants took part in a paper-and-pencil survey regarding their television viewing habits and their beliefs about doctors (p.118, Bryant, et al, 2013). The analysis of the study showed that viewing Grey's Anatomy was associated with stronger perceptions about the show's credibility and that the belief in the show's credibility was positively related to the perception that real-world doctors are courageous (p.118, Bryant, et al,
The third idea that stood out to me was central and peripheral routes of persuasion. The central route involves much cognitive effort because a person listens carefully to arguments and thinks things through deliberately before arriving at a conclusion; while the peripheral route is based on a person's attitudes and beliefs on what is said by an attractive spokesperson or an expert, for example (p.115, Bryant, et al, 2013). Cultivation theory is researched in many parts of the world. One study was done by Brian Quick in 2009 about the effects of viewing Grey's Anatomy had on perceptions of doctors and patient satisfaction. The study examined the effect that watching Grey's Anatomy could have on viewers' attitudes and beliefs about their real-world doctors (p. 117, Bryant, et al, 2013). During the study, two hundred sixty-nine participants took part in a paper-and-pencil survey regarding their television viewing habits and their beliefs about doctors (p.118, Bryant, et al, 2013). The analysis of the study showed that viewing Grey's Anatomy was associated with stronger perceptions about the show's credibility and that the belief in the show's credibility was positively related to the perception that real-world doctors are courageous (p.118, Bryant, et al,