Lien Luc

COMM 220
Instructor: Jason Lind
Theory Review #2
Date: Dec. 03, 2015
Cultivation Analysis Theory
Stella C. Chia & Albert C. Gunther (2006) How Media Contribute to Misperceptions
of Social Norms About Sex, Mass Communication and Society, 9:3, 301-320
Television is the most important role in todays society. People choose to get
information from media sources rather than print sources; as a result, those types of media
can shape a persons sense of reality (Gerbner, 1999). Cultivation analysis is a theory
that predicts and explains the long-term formation and shaping of perceptions,
understandings, and beliefs about the world as a result of consumption of media messages
(West & Turner, 2004). This theory has two perspectives, which are transmissional and
ritual. In addition, cultivation analysis makes a lot of assumptions because a televisionbased theory is still the primary. There are four steps to process cultivation analysis including
message system analysis, formulation of questions about viewers, surveying the audience and
comparing the social realities of light and heavy viewers. Moreover, mainstreaming and
resonance are two ways contribute the conceptions of social reality of the viewers. These two
ways also create two levels of effects. First order effects is a method for cultivation to occur;
refers to learning facts from the media. Second order effects is a method for cultivation to
occur; refers to learning values and assumptions from the media.
In the article How media contribute to misperception of social norms about sex,
cultivation analysis theory is applied to the perception of the peers sexual behavior among
college students. Chia and Gunther states that many studies indicate, heavy consumption
of the sex-related media will be positively related to higher estimates of sexual practices in
the real world. In the U.S, television is the primary storyteller, which is the most
pervasive cultural institution to provide social patterns and to cultivate those patterns
(Gerbner et al., 2002). They also point out five hypotheses (H) in their research. The first
hypothesis is the perceived peer norms about sex reported by college students are more
permissive than actual peer norms. The H2 mentions that among college students, higher
West, R & Turner, L.H. (2004). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application (2nd ed.). Boston:
McGraw Hill.

level of media consumption will be associated with perceptions of more permissive peer
norms about sex. The H3 states that students estimates of media influence on their peers
are associated with their perception of more permissive peer norms about sex. The H4 is
about students own sexual permissiveness will be positively associated with their
perception of peer permissiveness about sex. Their last hypothesis describes students
own sexual attitudes and their perceptions of peer norms regarding sexual permissiveness
will be associated with their own intention to engage in sexual activities.
In their study, cultivation theory recommends that students can develop their
impressions of sex-related peer norms from media performances without any suppositions
about media influence. Behaviors, for example, premarital or easy sex are generally
depicted in the media, and past examination shows that understudies have a tendency to
overestimate the impact of such media depictions on their companions. It is conceivable
that understudies create the false impression of companion standards about sex focused
around the inexhaustible sexual substance in the media (Kunkel et al., 2003). The study led
by Hines and his associates (2002) proposes that media depictions may help make school
understudies' misperceptions of other understudies' solace level with unsafe practices,
including sexual exercises. Despite the fact that a few viewers may watch one sort of TV
program more than others, all viewers get pretty much comparative messageswhat
Gerbner and Gross called "the universal curriculum." As viewers sit in front of the TV from
normal, they get these messages over and over and in total. As an issue, these viewers, and
overwhelming viewers specifically, begin to accept that they live in the account world
depicted on. In a fascinating variation on the cultivation effect, Tyler and Cook (1984)
proposed the unoriginal effect speculation, a thought especially pertinent to this study,
which contends that media content principally influences impression of the states of others
lives, instead of one's own.
As a result, their hypothesis 1 predicts an error between the circulations of
understudies observations of companion standards about sex and that of the real sexual
states of mind reported by understudies. Next, Chia and Gunther combine the hypothesis 2,
3 and 4 results together and propose that respondents misguided judgments of associate
standards are a capacity of their utilization of broad communications, their assumptions
about media impact on associates, and their own particular sexual states of mind. Finally,
West, R & Turner, L.H. (2004). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application (2nd ed.). Boston:
McGraw Hill.

their fifth hypothesis recommends that understudies own sexual dispositions and their
impression of peers sexual states of mind would foresee their expectations to participate
in sexual exercises.
In general, they propose to look at the cultivation analysis theory of a full scope of
broad communications, including TV, films, magazines, daily papers, and the Internet, on
understudies' impression of their peers' sexual conduct. Also, their concentrate likewise try
an option clarification of cultivation theory, which recommends that understudies may
shape impressions of sex-related companion standards specifically from media portrayals
without suppositions about media impact .They expect that students with higher
introduction to the broad communications may report more lenient sexual state of mind
among their associates than those understudies with lower presentation to media.

West, R & Turner, L.H. (2004). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application (2nd ed.). Boston:
McGraw Hill.