Shrum & Lee (2012). The stories TV tells: How fictional TV narratives shape normative perceptions and personal values. - Article summary

The programmes on television have an enduring effect on the viewer. How it influences a person depends on the type of judgement required (1), television viewing frequency (2) and characteristics of the viewing experience (3). Television has the potential to influence normative perceptions (1) and attitudes, values and beliefs (2).

The cultivation theory states that the content of television programmes presents a systematic distortion of reality and that frequent exposure to these distorted images result in their internalization (e.g. learning the lessons of television; overestimating violence). A point of criticism regarding this theory is the ambiguity of the causal direction of the variables.

The reliability and validity of the cultivation effect are debated because the effects found are small (1), the effects are not consistently found (2) and statistically controlling for some variables (e.g. demographics) makes the effect non-significant (3). However, small effect sizes can be meaningful (1) and small effect sizes might mask larger effects within certain groups (2).

First-order cultivation measures refers to frequency and probability estimates of real-world facts after watching television. The first-order judgements are memory-based (i.e. formed by recalling information from memory). The second-order measures refers to belief measures. The second-order judgements are constructed through an online process (i.e. information that is being processed in real-time is used to update current judgements or construct new ones). An example of online judgements is forming an impression.

The difference is that the first-order cultivation measures can be objectively determined whilst the second-order measures are inherently subjective. First-order cultivation effects are larger and more reliable than second-order cultivation effects (1) and the two measures are uncorrelated (2).

The accessibility model for first-order cultivation effects assumes that television viewing increases the accessibility of information that pertains to typical cultivation judgments (e.g. violence) (1) and it assumes that memory-based judgements are constructed through heuristic processing.

It states that people employ the availability heuristic or the simulation heuristic. The simulation heuristic states that people base their estimates on the ease with which a relevant exemplar can be imagined when the availability heuristic cannot be used.

Media consumption may influence the accessibility of constructs that are commonly portrayed in television programmes. Differences in media consumption can influence levels of accessibility of relevant constructs.

The accessibility model makes five claims:

• Television viewing influences accessibility.
• The accessibility mediates the cultivation effect.
• Television exemplars are not source-discounted.
• The motivation to process information moderates the cultivation effect.
• The ability to process information moderates the cultivation effect.

The cultivation effect refers to people who frequently watch television give higher estimates for frequency- or probability-based judgements than people who do not.

People do not discount the source when making general judgements (e.g. frequency of homicide) as people use television exemplars but do not do this knowingly and would not do this willingly. Source-discounting refers to taking the source into account when making judgements. This is not something people generally do.

Heuristic processing tends to be low when motivation to process information is high and high when motivation to process information is low.

The online process model for second-order cultivation effects states that television viewing has an influence on the viewer’s attitudes, values and beliefs and the influence is proportionate to the amount of viewing. This model makes several claims:

•  Frequent viewing of the same messages should result in attitude shifts toward the dominant messages of television narratives.
• Higher motivation to process information should increase cultivation effects.
• A higher ability to process information should increase cultivation effect.

Television information influences judgement during viewing as information is processed for second-order cultivation judgements.

The cultivation effect refers to the influence of the media on one’s view of the world. The extent to which there is a difference between you view the world and what the world is actually like.

Mainstreaming and resonance states that variables that affect the judgement process may moderate the cultivation effect.