Stereotyping and Media
COM 226, SUMMER 2011
PPT #10
INCLUDES CHAPTER 17 OF DEFLEUR TEXTBOOK
Expectations
 We all have expectations for each new encounter. . .
What if I were to say to you. . . ???
 Your expectations are based on past experiences

Including mediated experiences
Expectations
 What comes to mind when I say:
 Chinese student?
 Urban Black man?
 Nurse?
 Cowboy?
 Muslim?
 Kazakhstan?
Stereotyping—The Process
 Stereotypes are standardized and simplified
conceptions of groups based on assumptions derived
from prior experiences (again, even media
experiences)
 Stereotyping is a natural process; when it becomes
inflexible to change with the introduction of new
information, we call it prejudice, bias, or “…ism”
(e.g., sexism, racism)
Stereotypes
 Stereotypes engage a particular kind of role schema
that organizes people’s expectations about other
people who fall into certain social categories.
 Two primary research questions:


#1--What types of stereotypes are presented in the media?
#2--What effects do stereotypes have on people?
#2--What effects do stereotypes have on people?
Compare and Contrast two main theories:
 Cultivation Theory
 George Gerbner
 A stable set of media images, shown repeatedly over time, will
cultivate a set of perceptions of the real world in viewers, especially
heavy viewers
 This has been applied to the “Mean World” phenomenon, but also to
stereotypes of gender and race groups
 Social Expectations Theory (textbook)
 Melvin DeFleur
 Media portrayals show social activities and rules for behavior that
constitute representations of reality; those exposed receive
unintended collateral instruction about groups of people; this
incidental learning about others serves as a guide to action when
these groups are encountered
#1--What types of stereotypes are presented in the media?
 Sex roles:
 A meta analysis by Herrett-Skjellum & Allen (1996) found:


“Television programming generally portrays men and women in
traditional gender stereotypical roles… all content analyses
illustrate the consistent finding that men are more often on TV, in
higher status roles as characters, and as having greater power than
women.”
Other sex roles stereotypes?


Body Image? (More on this later, including Killing Us Softly video)
Discuss???
Effects of Sex Role Stereotypes
 “Notel” study—Children in British Columbia town
with no TV did not have as many sex role
stereotypes.
 Two years after TV, showed a dramatic increase in
sex role stereotypes.
#1--What types of stereotypes are presented in the media?
 Racial Stereotypes—Name examples?:
 African Americans in the media?
 Latinos in the media?
 Asian Americans in the media?
 Native Americans?
 Whites?
 Italians?
 Arabs?
 ???
 Arab exemplars:
 Jack Shaheen’s book and documentary Reel Bad Arabs

Identifies a stunning array of mostly negative models for Arabs
 e.g., The money-grubbing sheik
 e.g., The belly dancing woman
 e.g., The terrorist
Stereotyping African Americans in Film
 A humorous examination of African American
stereotypes from the movie Hollywood Shuffle
(Robert Townsend, 1987).
 Black Acting School
Research on Racial Stereotypes
 Many studies of content; surprisingly few on effects, over
the years.
 Typical progression of content:

Exclusion  Ridicule  Regulation  Respect  Diversity
 Content analyses (e.g., Dixon & Linz, 2000) examine raw
frequencies AND do comparisons:
◦
◦
◦
Intergroup comparisons
Interrole comparisons (e.g., law breakers vs. law defenders)
Interreality comparisons
◦ Recall the Mean World Syndrome video re TV portrayals
◦ Also, Mickey Mouse Monopoly video examines content of
Disney films
Effects of Stereotypes
 Dixon and Linz (2000) said cultivation and priming
theories suggest that stereotyped portrayals “may
have a powerful impact on viewers.”
 However, there are still not that many real “effects”
studies in this area. . .