Exam 1 Review Study Guide MMC 4602 PDF

Study Guide for Exam 1 MMC 4602 List of Key Concepts to Review for Exam 1 Attachment Theory: Definition: Attachment theory is a psychological theory that explains how humans form and maintain close relationships, especially the bond between infants and their caregivers. Explan...

Study Guide for Exam 1 MMC 4602 List of Key Concepts to Review for Exam 1 Attachment Theory: Definition: Attachment theory is a psychological theory that explains how humans form and maintain close relationships, especially the bond between infants and their caregivers. Explanation: According to attachment theory, we all have a desire to be loved—to have a warm and supportive relationship with someone who understands us and advocates for us. Having such a relationship provides people with a sense of security, and facilitates their positive social and emotional development. Basking Effect: Definition: WE identify stronger with our teams when they’re doing well. Example: The city of New Orleans experienced the most days without crime when the Saints were winning football games. Central Route Messages: Definition: Logic, reasoning, critical thinking, credibility. Example: If you stay home during quarantine, you are less likely to be exposed to covid 19. Challenges of Media Effects Research: At-large field-related ○ Lack of longitudinal evidence  ○ Cycling of trends Novelty does not predict impacts ○ Societal privileges of having access to media (aka who are we leaving out??) ○ Largely negative ○ Massive population ○ “All or nothing” type of perspective Characteristics of the genres of TV programs: Characteristics of your typical drama/soap: ○ Uses the “personal life” of a character as the core problematic (the source of conflict). ○ Include melodramatic excess (an expression of emotion or an excess of dramatic events not typically seen in real life) for emotional appeal. ○ Lack narrative resolution for the purpose of continuing the story. Other characteristics: ○ Often focus on one location where a group of “average” people “happen” to be together. New Girl, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy. ○ Occupations of participants are often jobs that allow maximum opportunity to talk. Either really random jobs: Friends/ Sex in the City. Or oddly specific and dependent on the storyline: Suits, Grey’s, The Bear. ○ If/when difficult conversations are addressed (such as racism/sexism), the perpetrator is almost always from outside of the main cast of characters. Cross Race Effect: Definition: People tend to recognize faces and emotional facial expressions of people of their own race versus other race or ethnic group better.  Example: You bring two friends home for thanksgiving. They both happen to be from another country and your mother is having a really hard time telling them apart. Cultivation Theory: Main Idea: How do various television programs contribute to viewers’ conceptions of reality? Theory prediction: People who watch more television are more likely to assign media themes to their perception of the real world. Note: Not about the effects of the individual… ○ The function of television and how it reinforces public perception of various social groups. Criticisms of Cultivation Theory: ○ People have other experiences outside of television ○ Limited to TV ○ Correlation does not equal causation!! ○ What about the people that have pushed back on media content? (i.e. Netflix criticisms) Assumes “homogeneity” Downward Comparison: Definition: Evaluating others that are perceived as worse off or socially “lower” than us Reactions: “That’s an awful situation. I feel grateful” OR “These people are the scum of the earth I would never” Dr. Pike’s Video on Sports and Society:  Elaboration Likelihood Model: Definition: We are influenced by messages based on two things: central and peripheral messages. Evolutionary Theory: Definition: Our evolution has influenced the mental, social, and physical responses to our environment. All about biology and natural science. Every single thing we do is about mate selection. Biological: ○ People in colder climates have more body fat. ○ Men are more attracted to women with certain physical features. Social: ○ We may be attracted to watching violence on TV to help us survive if that happened in the real world. ○ We create friendships and close relationships with an expectation of reciprocity to help us survive. ○ Birds of a feather flock together? Stronger together for survival. ○ Opposites attract? We need variance in genes!! Pros: ○ It feels like a really clear and straightforward answer to questions. ○ Great source of entertainment in the academic world Cons:  ○ It's just not always that simple False Belief Experiment: Definition: A "false belief experiment" is a psychological test used to assess a person's ability to understand that others can have different beliefs or perspectives than their own, often considered a key aspect of "theory of mind" development, particularly in children; it typically involves a scenario where a character is unaware of a change in information, and the test participant is asked to predict where the character would look for something based on their false belief about its location. Example: We did it in class with the remote and the basket. First-Person Effect: This is an extension to TPE (third-person effect). Yes, the third-person effect happens but also… we like to see ourselves in a positive light!! SO FPE says: ○ When the media is bad or negative I'm not very influenced ○ BUT if it’s heartwarming and positive and wonderful then I’m actually way more influenced and moved by it than other people. Criticism: Negates the feeling of guilt, super limited research. Agenda Setting and Framing Theory: Agenda Setting: ○ Definition: Media doesn't necessarily tell us what to think, but what to think about. ○ Example: Hierarchy of newsworthiness  Politics- are you looking at a political candidates individual policies or are you focusing on the ones that are being highlighted for you? Framing theory: ○ Works hand in hand with agenda-setting theory. ○ Definition: If agenda setting tells you what to think about, Framing theory tells you how to think about it. General Premise: The media can (and does) influence how we think about issues. Both: assume a very passive audience, and don't consider external forces at play ○ Example: Why would I care or think about childcare costs if I never want kids? Fundamental Attribution Error: Basic premise and prediction: We are more likely to assume external attributions to ourselves and internal attributions to others. External vs. Internal attributions: ○ External: the weather, the traffic, the professor, etc. ○ Internal: Attitude, personality, individual characteristics Example: My friend is late because they are irresponsible and never leave on time. I was late today because the traffic was bad and parking sucks. Criticism: ○ People think (and are actively studying) whether this is an exaggerated theory. ○ Doesn’t consider the verbal context of the situation (i.e. saving face/ avoiding embarrassment/etc.) ○ Personally…cultural context: younger generations more likely to fess up. Gender Differences and Media Use: First: SUPER heteronormative and historically very biased Also: kind of outdated in general (remember when we about about “trendy” research?) Not very trendy Not many differences:  ○ Skepticism, political beliefs, work perspectives, enthusiasm dependence, general tech use time… EXCEPT… Females: ○ More confident and social on mass media platforms ○ Find “ascetics” more appealing and important ○ Values honesty and optimism online more Males: ○ Only Gen X more “shallow” on mass media??? Fun! ○ More pessimistic about mass media ○ More video gaming and TV watching Mean World Syndrome: Definition: Seeing the real world as similar to the mediated world. Explantation: This causes individuals to believe that the world is more violent than it actually is. *Negative content always gets more coverage. The term used in Cultivation Theory to describe the distorted perception of reality due to heavy media consumption. Example: Modern Family Clip- Manny processes, the horror movie as if it is real. His body physically reacts to stimuli, and he also jumps when watching the movie as if it’s real. Mood Management Theory: Similar to uses and gratifications theory. Two Major points: ○ People want to increase positive experiences and decrease negative experiences. ○ People are constantly trying to reach “homeostasis” with their emotions. Critiques:  ○ It assumes that negative feelings are always bad. ○ Media choice doesn't always predict optimal mood. AKA my old roommate and Euphoria. Parasocial Interaction/Relationships: Seeing the values/morals of others helps us understand ourselves. We feel comforted by the disclosure of “true emotions” especially when they relate to our own problems. Parasocial Relationship: One-sided connection between a person and a public figure where the person feels a sense of connection and understanding of the public figure. ○ Aka we grow attached to the people on reality TV that we like. The type of parasocial interaction ○ Understanding the character means more than identifying with the character. Why? Attributional confidence- our perception that we know what makes a character “tick”. Seeing a character's private conversations, relationships, etc. gives us higher attributional confidence. Peripheral Route Message: Definition: How “shiny” the message is aka attractiveness of speaker, colors, humor, storyline emotion. Example: If you stay home during quarantine you won’t put your loved ones at risk. Reality TV and How It's Shaping Society: Gender roles and gender expression  ○ Example: Bachelor and RuPauls Drag race Family and social dynamics ○ Example: Kardashians, Real Housewives Encouraging/normalizing risky behavior AND warning against risky behavior ○ Example: 16 and pregnant, MTV and perceptions of drinking and safe sex Reducing stigma, setting social expectations ○ Example: The challenge star Tori Deal opens up about how antidepressants saved her from ‘rock bottom’. Views on religion ○ Example: Secret Lives of Mormon Wifes Research Methods: Qualitative Research: ○ Pros: Provides information in context Can capture changing attitudes Can capture alternative perspectives Flexibility ○ Cons: Time consuming Small sample sizes Difficult to “prove” rigor Quantitative Research: ○ Pros: Large samples Less time Control groups Can be done anonymously Easy to replicate ○ Cons:  Expensive Easily manipulated Rarely provides adequate context Correlation does not equal causation Social Comparison Theory: Definition: We evaluate ourselves by evaluating others. Key Concepts: Upward comparison and downward comparison. Social Identity Theory: We perceive our social networks in terms of in-groups and out-groups: ○ Within these groups, everyone in the out-group is all the same. ○ People in the in-group are very unique and diverse. ○ Example: All UF students are the same. They are try-hards from FL, they pretend that they are super sweet, and they all have an unhealthy obsession with the idea of going to UF. FSU students are so much fun and we are mostly from out of state. There are so many clubs and organization to join and while we love FSU at least were actually good at what we do… We create meaning out of our social groups: ○ We want to be in the esteemed group ○ When one group feels like they’re on the “outs” they will engage in specific behaviors Demeaning the other group Work to achieve a positive internal perception of their own group Enter: ~stereotypes~ to simplify other groups to make us feel better and help us better digest information We seek out mass media that affirms those social groups: ○ Social creativity  ○ My mother watching call the midwife Criticisms: ○ Intersectionality ○ Implies that individuals want to be at the “top” of the social hierarchy Technology Use Across The Ages: No political differences between generations and media use. Technology positivity and optimism is higher with younger generations. ○ Specifically older men are very pessimistic about technology. Skepticism about the world increases with the younger/more connected generations. Younger generations believe they know more at a younger age than older generations (myth). Technology makes our lives better!! ○ Not a super strong difference between older and younger generations. Older generations only slightly more likely to say they don't agree. Perceived technology use: ○ Makes a perfect little arch- boomers say they use the least, millennials/gen X say they use the most, anything younger says they use slightly less than millennials/gen x. The Misinformation Paradox: Older Adults are Cynical about News Media, but engage with it anyway. ○ Older adults are more likely to distrust media and ENGAGE with, read, believe, and share information even if they think it might be false. Also less likely to fact-check. We are ALL bad at multitasking. Tolerance for diversity seems to also dip, rise, then dip again. ○ Typically higher tolerance for people who engage with social media for more than 4 hours a day.  ○ Older generations have the lowest tolerance, Millennials peak in tolerance, tolerance declines with Gen Z. Theories (Specifically What Components Are Needed For A Theory): Definition: A theory is a “conceptualization of a phenomenon that contains hypotheses, proposes linkages between variables, explains events, and offers predictions.” ○ Components: Question + Variables + Test + Prediction of future events + Retest over and over Theories are CONSTANTLY being revised and used in research. All theories have their strengths and weaknesses. NO THEORIES ARE SET IN STONE. Theory Of Mind: At some point between the ages of 2-5 Definition: Ability to understand that other people have a different perspective than you. ○ Note: this often develops sooner with children that have siblings. 4 The character might look in their own basket first. Why is this relevant: Recognizing others’ emotions, developing empathy, learning social skills, and it's really cute to test. Third Person Effect: Definition: We assume that everyone else is more influenced by the media than us. This theory is HEAVILY supported. TV News Perspectives – Specifically Content vs. Impact: Content-Based Approaches: ○ Explores how news is put together by journalists and broadcaster to achieve certain effects. This creates the structure of “newsworthiness” aka the hierarchy of what takes priority in the news. Example: Election is coming up! News casters want voters to be informed. There is a lot of news circulating about the election. However, if there is a large natural disaster that happens in the US it will likely take precedent over the election. If it is an international natural disaster, it likely will not take precedent over the election. ○ Call back to agenda-setting. Agenda setting can be as structured and covert as censorship or as overt and typical such as through the hierarchy of newsworthiness. Censorship: the suppression of speech, public communication, and information by the government or private institutions ○ Example: Removing books from a public library- censorship (funded by the government) ○ News sources use narrative structures to tell us what is important within a news story. Narrative structure- the organization of a story News typically carries out the most important or impactful things first and then continues with less important information. Example: 10 killed in a major car accident on HWY 31 Impact: ○ Two main ways scholars think about impact (aka- News Reception): Short-term cognitive approach- What did you learn? What do you remember? What stood out to you?  Cultivation approach (cultivation theory!!!!)- Typically measures general media use and then explores a persons general understanding and conceptualization of media/news at large. Both of these may use *framing theory* in different ways. For ex. Example 1: Does an image “frame” a message and help guide user comprehension and memory? Example 2: Does increased news media consumption increase susceptibility to the mean world syndrome? Upward Comparison: Definition: Evaluating others that are perceived as better or socially “higher” than us. Reactions: “If I had that kind of money I would be like that too…” OR “One day I can be like that if I just do x,y,z.” Uses and Gratifications Theory: The audience is an active participant in using media. Prediction: People use different media to satisfy different goals ○ Older theories (hypodermic needle theory) suggested that we were just blobs being poked with media messages) Younger adults use social media primarily for both entertainment and information. People seek approval from others and seek connection with others simultaneously. Criticisms: ○ Too individualistic (can you really predict this…?) ○ Cultural contexts? ○ Social changes (Facebook transition from social to more formal)