Chapter 6 Flashcards

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cultivation theory

Definition

The theory that people who are exposed to high levels of media content, especially on television, are more likely to believe those messages are real. For example, people who consume a great deal of violence in media are more likely to believe the world is more violent than it actually is.

cultural imperialism

Definition

The concern that a more powerful nation’s culture, when introduced in another nation, begins to dominate that other nation’s culture. Examples include Roman influence several millennia ago; European nations in South America, Africa, and Asia; and the United States’ media culture (especially television and film) in contemporary times.

encoding/decoding model of mass communication

Definition

Theorist Stuart Hall’s proposal that people decode mass media message three ways: they accept the “dominant/ hegemonic” position of societal powers, they “negotiate” a position as they accept some ideas and reject others, or they take an “oppositional” position that rejects the message. This theory was stated in the early 1970s and focused on television.

intersectionality

Definition

A term that describes the “interactivity of social identity structures” (Gopaldas, 2013). Structures that meet at the “intersection” of a person’s “identity” include race, class, gender, sexuality, physical appearance, disability, religion, and more.

microaggression

Definition

A subtle or unintentional action, statement, or incident that shows discrimination against a minority, or reinforces a stereotype.

priming

Definition

How media may affect how we think about a thing or idea. Oftentimes, what we know about something first comes from media, which has “primed” us to think about that thing based upon the media’s message about that thing.

schema

Definition

Cognitive frameworks were used to help us quickly organize and interpret information, people, and other things we encounter in life. Developing schema allow us to take mental “shortcuts” in order to make quick decisions. Media play a role in how we create and use schema.

self-categorization theory

Definition

A theory that considers how we perceive ourselves and others within groups, and also how we consider others we perceive to be in groups.

social cognition theory

Definition

A theory that says a person learns about the world by observing it, and that includes observation in media.

social identity theory

Definition

Part of this theory says a person’s self-concept is based upon membership in societal groups, which includes race, gender, ethnicity, and other factors.

stereotype

Definition

Overgeneralized thinking about people, groups, or other things that are based upon natural characteristics, including race, ethnicity, gender, etc. They are dangerous when unthinkingly automatic.

tolerance paradox

Definition

The theory that the intolerant will take over a society if that society is not intolerant of intolerance.

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Dr. Chris Roberts

Associate Professor