Theories of Mass Communication
Lowery and Defleur
Theory of Uniform Influences....
C
Powerful Effects or Magic Bullet Theory
CPeople receives messages
uniformly
C
The stimuli lead individuals to respond in a somewhat uniform manner.
Theory of Uniform Influences....
C
Because people are not held back by social controls from others, like
customs and traditions, the effects of mass communication are powerful, uniform
and direct
Theory of Selective Influences Based On:
(Individual Differences)
Media present info, but messages are interpreted selectively.
Theory of Selective Influences( Individual Differences)
The selectivity occurs because of a person’s unique personal organization of
beliefs, attitudes, values, needs, and modes of personal gratification that has
been acquired through learning.
Theory of Selective Influences (Individual Differences)
Because perception is selective, interpretation, retention, and response to
media messages are also selective and variable.
The media effect is limited by individual psychological differences.
Theory of Selective Influences Based On:
(Social Categories)
Media messages are received and interpreted selectively.
Selectivity is influenced by the location of the individual in the
differentiated social structure.
Theory of Selective Influences(Social Categories) The social structure is composed of
numerous categories of people, defined by such factors as sex, age, income,
education and occupation.
Theory of Selective Influences(Social Categories)
Patterns of media attention and response are shaped by the factors that define
these categories, making response to mass communication somewhat similar in
each.
Theory of Selective Influences based on Social influences are brought to bear
when an individual’s decisions regarding behavior toward mass communication
are modified by family, friends, acquaintances, or others.
The effects of media are limited and shaped by the person’s social
interactions with others.
Theory of indirect influence....Modeling
The individual
perceives a form of behavior described or portrayed by a character in media
content.
Modeling
The individual judges this behavior to be attractive and potentially useful for
coping with some personal situation that has arisen or might arise.
Modeling
The portrayed behavior is
reproduced by the individual in a relevant personal situation.
Modeling
The
reproduced behavior proves useful or effective in coping with the situation,
thereby rewarding the individual
Modeling
With further use, the modeled behavior becomes the person’s habitual
way of handling that type of situation, unless it is no longer effective and
rewarding.
Theory of indirect influence---meaning
The individual perceives a form of behavior
described or portrayed by a character in media content.
Meaning
That situation is labeled by a standardized symbol or symbols from the
shared language.
The media content effectively links the label and the portrayed meaning
for the individual.
Meaning
By such presentation, the media can establish new meanings, extend older ones to
include new elements, substitute alternative meanings for older ones, or
stabilize the language conventions concerning the shared meanings for symbols in
the language community.
Meaning
Since language (standardized labels
and their shared meanings) is a critical factor shaping perception,
interpretation, and decisions concerning action, the media can have a powerful,
but limited long term effect.
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