Individuals
Dependent
Independent
And
Other Variables
Displacement
Mere presence of mass media has a
potential displacement effect; each
medium is an alternative that
displaces other activities
Processing Styles
Over time, particular media may lead
to preferences in processing styles.
TV generation is much more visual.
Media can displace previous modes
of learning.
Dependent Variables
• Cognitive:
Knowledge/beliefs
• Affective:
Moods/evaluations
• Conative/overt behavior:
intentions/actions
Cognitive
• Knowledge is information confirmed by
others and accepted as an accurate
representation of reality. Give me examples
• Beliefs: some evidence of consuming
single event BUT most cognitive effects are
linked to patterns of media use.
– First Order—demographic; quantifiable
– Second Order—broad opinion
Cognitive
• Primary influence on societal not personal
judgements.
Affective
• Media effects are usually much greater in
area of cognition; but increasing evidence
of temporary and enduring effects on mood
and evaluations.
• Mood states Zilmann (1988) people use
media to diminish the intensity of bad
moods & to perpetuate and intensify good
moods (selective attention)
Affective
• Poor TV! Heavy users described life and
moods less fulfilling than did light users.
• Compensation Hypothesis: media used to
compensate for social impoverishment.
• Buffering Hypothesis: people partially
protected from loneliness from heavy media
consumption.
• TV more likely to affect single, elderly
Affective
• TV increases family time together but
diminishes interaction.
• Evaluations are considered the link to overt
behaviors; information or lack thereof
influences our attitudes and hence our
actions.
Behavioral
• Simply put:
• Media can affect people’s intentions to act
(People’s Choice—reinforcement) and
subsequent overt actions.
• Examples include voting, volunteering.
• More on individuals patterns later.
Independent Variables
•
•
•
•
•
•
Media/channel differences
Print size, type face, etc
Movie sequence
Black and white Vs color
Colors in advertising/packaging
Poor TV! Newspaper readers were
considered more knowledgeable of politics
Independent Variables
• Media Use
– Exposure—time used; frequency
– Preference—media favorites
– Reliance—replaces leisure or learning from
other sources
– Attention—active selection process in choosing
content among message across time
Independent Variables
• Framing—looking at models that represent
alternative portrayals with differing effects
on audiences.
– Conservative Vs liberal news
– Thematic or episodic
• Causal relationships; responsibility
Other Variables
• Social Learning Theory holds that aggressive
modes of response are acquired either through
direct experience of indirectly through observation
of aggressive models.
• Selective Exposure—look for and use media to
reinforce existing attitudes, values, beliefs; applied
to perception and retention as well.