1. Chapter 8
Endnote 8
Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. (1994). Growing up with television: The
cultivation perspective. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and
research (pp. 17-41). Hillsdale, Nj: Erbum.
Kimberlee Ablahat
Zoey Farr
Avery Holley
Ryan Dunavant
Margarita Salgado
Kimberly Worden
Summary: The researcher did a meta-analysis study in which they looked at surveys of television
viewers of all age groups and at how many hours a day they viewed TV. They classified the
viewers into one of three categories: light, medium, or heavy TV viewers. The first category was
made up of light viewers who watched less than two hours of TV a day; the second was medium
viewers who watched two to four hours a day; and the third was heavy viewers who watched
four or more hours of TV a day. They wanted to see if there was a correlation between the
amount of TV watched and the effect it had on the viewer’s perception of the world.
Theory: Cultivation Theory- The media cultivates us to believe that what is shown on TV and in
movies is a realistic version of the world. Example such as the “mean world theory” in which
people who watch a lot of violent content in the media are more likely to believe that everyone in
the real world is as violent and mean as they are portrayed on television.
Method: Meta-Analysis of surveys used
Units of Measurement: light, medium, or heavy TV viewers
Conclusion: From the research, Gerbner concluded that people that are heavy viewers are
“cultivated” to accept the world that is presented to them by the media. Examples being the
elderly are dying off rapidly when they are in fact an extremely large proportion of the
population. Also, because of media we are more likely to assume that women belong in the home
and men belong in the work force. The research showed that even young children believe that
men and women should fulfill these traditional gender roles.
Suggestions: Although the media may play a role on cultivating these ideas, we believe that they
may not be the only factor. We think that the study should be redone to reevaluate the findings of
how the media influences the people of today.