2. WHERE THE THEORY LIES IN
EFFECT APPROACH PARADIGM
Cumulative impact as
opposed to a “magic bullet.”

3. Introduction
 Cultivation theory was an
approach developed by Professor
George Gerbner.
 This theory concentrates on
specific medium television.
 Cultivation theory was probably
the longest running and most
extensive program of research on
the effect ofTV.
 Cultivation theory predicts not the
direct impact on our thinking
regarding some issues but very
way we perceive or view the world.

4. Cultivation theory has both
narrow and broadened aspects ;
narrow in the sense of that it
only focuses on one medium
that is television and broadened
in the sense it addresses the
macroscopic question about
Media role in society.
The theory focuses on the
effect thatTV and movie
violence has on our perception
of reality. The cultivation theory
says that the moreTV a person
watch, the harsher perception
they will have of the real world.

5. Gerbner gives many Assumptions of
Cultivation Theory:
Television world is “NOT
A WINDOW ON or
REFLECTION OFTHE
WORLD" but “A WOLD IN
ITS SELF”.
“The television set has
become a key member
of the family,
the one who tells most
of the stories most of
the time."

6. Television is a unique
medium requiring a special
approach to study.TV is
essentially and
fundamentally different
from others forms of mass
media. It is 98% of all
Americans homes
TV is the central cultural
arm of American society.

7. • The mass media cultivate
attitudes and values,
which are already present
in a culture.
• Television has become the
main source of storytelling
in today’s society
• The overuse of television
creates a homogenous
and fearful environment.

8.  He claimed that
becauseTV contains so
much violence, people
who spend the most
time in front of the
tube develop and
exaggerated belief in a
mean and scary world.
violence is one of the
major staples of theTV
world

9. Gerbner’s framework as a three-
pronged plug leading to a TV set to
tell us something different about
the world of TV.
 The first PRONG- institutional process
analysis
 The second PRONG- message system
analysis
 The third prong- cultivation analysis

10. Institutional Process Analysis: The first PRONG
“Scholarship that penetrates behind the scenes of
media organizations in an effort to understand
what policies or practices might be lurking there.”
Message system analysis: The second PRONG
Scholarship that involves careful, systematic study of
TV content usually employing content analysis as a
research method.
Cultivation analysis: The third PRONG
“Research designed to find support for the motion
that those who spend more time watching TV are
more likely to see the real world through TV’s
lens”

11. Testing the Cultivation
Hypothesis:
 Gerbner presents research
supporting cultivation theory
that is based on compression
of heavy viewer or light
viewer
 Gerbner analyzed answer to
question posed in surveys
and found that heavy and
light viewer typically give
answer that are closer to the
way the world is portrayed
on television.

12. Cultivation theory Model

13. Gerbner broke viewers down
in to three categories
Viewers
Moderate
Viewer
LightViewersHeavy
Viewers

14. • Heavy viewer:Those who watch four or more hours a day
are labeled heavy television viewers.The heavy television
viewers often give answers that are closer to the way he
world is portrayed on television.
• Light viewer:Those who view less than four hours per day,
according to Gerbner are light viewers.
• Moderate viewer:Those who watch television, not more
than four hour, not less than two hour.They watch
television in between them called moderate viewer.
•
Gerbner predicted that heavy viewers saw the world
as more dangerous than light viewers.

15. TV Answers vs. Real-World
Answer
SURVEY NO #01
• The first survey question was:
“what percentage of the world's
population lives in the United state? ”
• The correct answer is 6.
• Heavy viewers overestimated much more
as compared to light viewer.
SURVEY NO #02
• 2nd survey question was that:
• “ what percentage of Americans who have
jobs work in law enforcement”
• The correct answer was 1 percent.
• Heavy viewers give the answer of 20
percent that is too much exaggerated.

16. SURVEY NO #3
• Another question asked of heavy and light
viewer was this:
• “ during any week what are your chances
of being involved in some type of of
violence.”
• The correct answer is 1 percent or less
than 1 percent.
• But heavy viewers give the answer about
10% that is also very high than the real
ones.-
SURVEY NO #4
• The next survey question was “Can people
be trusted?”
• The heavy viewers are more likely to
check a response such as “Cant be too
careful.”

17. Cultivation Analysis:
 In the actual world, 0.41 violent crimes
occur per 100 Americans or less than 1 in
200.
 In the world, prime time televisions more
than 64% all characteristic are involved in
violence.
 Therefore, the response to such question
suggested that heavy television viewers
are getting a heightened sense of risk
and insecurity from television. Television
may be leading heavy viewers to
perceive a “mean world.”

18. MEAN WORLD SYNDROME is one of the main
effects of the cultivation theory
• On the small screen, content analysis tells us, crime
ranges about ten times more often than in real life.
So, the chances of this type of syndrome are more
in heavy viewers of television.

19. HIRSCH CRITICISM:
 Hirsch criticized this theory in 1980 and he
was of the view:
“Gerbner has shown that the difference between
heavy viewer and light television viewers show
up even across a number of other important
variables, including
Age,
Education,
News reading and
Gender.

20.  That is Gerbner realized
that the relationship
between television viewing
and different views of
world could be actually
caused by other variables,
and he attempted to
control for those variable,
the effect that is left can
be attributed to television
become very small”.

21. MODIFICATION OF CULTIVATION
THEORY BY ADDING TWO CONCEPTS:
 In response to Hirsch’s
criticism, Gerbner has
revised cultivation
theory. He has added two
additional concepts:
 Mainstreaming
 Resonance.

22. MAINSTREAMING
 Mainstreaming occurs when heavy
viewing leads to the convergence of view
points across groups which includes
differences in perspective and behavior that
stem from other social, cultural and
demographic influences.
 For instance heavy viewers low and high
income as well as low income of light viewers
have same point of view about that fear of
crime is a serious problem but light viewers
of high income don’t have this point of view.

23. EXPLAINATION OF MAINSTREAMING
BY GIVING THE EXAMPLE THROUGH
A FLOW CHART
Heavy viewers Light viewers
High
income
Low
income
Low
income
High
income
they tend to more vulnerable
But on the other hand high income
Of light viewers cant do precautions.

24. RESONANCE
 Resonance occurs when cultivation
effects is boosted for a certain group
of population.
 For instance , heavy viewers male
and females and light viewers
female have same tendency towards
the fear of crime. However, the
males with light exposure do not.
 However the group that agree the
most strongly is female who are
heavy viewer, because their
particular vulnerability to crime is
said to Resonate.

25. EXPLAINATION OF RESONANCE BY
GIVING THE EXAMPLE THROUGH A
FLOW CHART
Heavy viewers Light viewers
male female female male
they tend to more vulnerable
Because of their instincts

26. Rubin, Perse, and Taylor
Criticism
• Rubin, Perse, and Taylor (1988) cast
further doubt on cultivation In their survey
of viewers, they found effect of television
viewing on perception of social reality, but
the effects were program specific. They
also found that age, gender,
socioeconomic status, viewing intention
and perceived realism were better
predictors of faith in others than television
exposure.

27. DENIS MCQUAIL’S
CRITICISM
• “Audience behavior and audience view, given the
many intervening and powerful social background
factors. our attitudes are likely to be influenced
not only by TV but also by other media, by direct
experience, by other people and so on.”
• And this criticism was given due to the over
simplification of the theory.

28. Strengths:
• Combines micro and macro level theories
• Provide detailed explanations ofTV’s unique role
• Applies empirical study to widely held humanistic
assumptions
• Redefines effect as more than observable behavior
change.
• Applies to wide variety of effects issues.
• Provided basis for social change.
Weaknesses:
• Is methodologically troubling to many.
• Assumes homogeneity ofTV content.
• Focus on heavy users ofTV.
• Is difficult to apply to Media used less heavily than
TV.