Mass Media, Popular Culture, and Socialization (9A) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Cultivation theory. Media consumption shapes beliefs about real-world frequency.

Selective exposure. Seeking information that confirms pre-existing views.

Audiences actively choose media to satisfy needs (information, identity, entertainment). People are active consumers selecting media for specific purposes.

Media messages are directly and uniformly absorbed by passive audiences. Early theory assuming audiences are powerless against media.

Heavy viewing shapes perceptions of reality to match media portrayals. Repeated exposure creates distorted worldviews matching TV content.

Selecting which information becomes news and how it is presented. Media outlets filter what reaches the public as news.

Presentation style that changes interpretation by emphasizing aspects. Context and angle shape how audiences understand information.

Media messages directly and uniformly affect passive audiences. Early theory assuming audiences are powerless against media messages.

Unequal access to and effective use of information technologies. Gap between those with and without digital resources and skills.

Stereotyping via representativeness/availability from media exposure. Limited media diversity creates mental shortcuts about groups.

Stereotype: belief; prejudice: attitude or affect toward a group. Stereotypes are cognitive; prejudice involves emotional evaluation.

People with minority views self-censor to avoid social isolation. Fear of isolation silences dissent, making majority seem unanimous.

Belief that media affect others more than oneself. Psychological bias underestimating personal susceptibility to influence.

Media influence flows to opinion leaders, then to others. Influential individuals filter and spread media messages to networks.

Widely shared mainstream cultural products, practices, and beliefs. Elements of culture consumed and shared by the general public.

Internalization of norms and values that produces a social self. Process by which individuals learn society's expectations and develop identity.

Shared expectation for appropriate behavior in a given context. Rules that guide behavior based on group consensus.

Preferring information that aligns with existing beliefs. People seek media that confirms rather than challenges their views.

Learning norms, values, roles, and behaviors of a society. Process through which individuals internalize cultural expectations.

Widely shared, mainstream cultural products and practices. Encompasses entertainment, trends, and practices consumed by masses.

Communication technologies reaching large, dispersed audiences. Emphasizes technology's role in reaching many people simultaneously.

Interpreting media to support preexisting attitudes or beliefs. Cognitive bias where people favor information confirming beliefs.

Audiences actively select media to satisfy needs and goals. Views audiences as active participants choosing media purposefully.

People suppress minority opinions to avoid social isolation. Fear of isolation leads to self-censorship of unpopular views.

Belief that media affect others more than oneself. Perceptual bias underestimating media's influence on self.

Media influence what issues audiences perceive as important. Media doesn't tell people what to think, but what to think about.

Media shape interpretation by how an issue is presented. Same facts presented differently lead to different conclusions.

Heavy media exposure shapes perceptions of social reality. Long-term exposure cultivates worldviews matching media portrayals.

Media influence flows to opinion leaders, then to others. Recognizes opinion leaders as intermediaries in media influence.