Hilbert College.

 Annotated Bibliography:

Cultivation Theory

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Bittner, John R. (1977) Mass Communications: An Introduction (Theory and Practice of Mass Media in Society). Prentice Hall.

Gerbner's contributions to the Surgeon General's Report are discussed in detail. The criticism that it received is explained, and examples of Cultivation Theory are given.

Chandler, Daniel. (1995) Cultivation Theory. Online: http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/cultiv.html/

Chandler gives a history and full explanation of Cultivation Theory along with a detailed account of George Gerbner's Cultural Indicators research. He then discusses criticism and critiques of Gerbner's work, showing its pitfalls and successes.

Elridge, John. (1995) Glasgow Media Group Reader Volume 1. Rutledge.

Most of what society does is rooted in everyday activity, making it difficult to bring common sense assumptions into view. Common sense is the widest form of communication. Mass communications reflect and reinforce the power structure of the society they operate in.

Gerbner, George. (1977) Mass Media Policies in Changing Cultures. Wiley-Interscience.

Communication developments have increased society's ability to exchange messages and transformed the symbolic environment of human consciousness. Communication is interaction through messages. Those messages convey man's notion of existence,priorities, values and relationships. The effects of mass communication are found in the fundamental assumptions, definitions, and premises they contain and cultivate.

Gerbner, George. (1969) The Film Hero: A Cross-Cultural Study. Association for Education in Journalism.

Cultivation is concerned with the context from which interpretation of media takes place, rather than the direct effects of communication. Mass media determines what issues people are concerned with. The common symbolic environment is transformed by changes in bases of media mass-production.

Gerbner, George. (1996) Letter to the Communication Initiative. Online: http://www.comminit.com/power_point/change_theories/sld013.htm/

Gerbner gives his definition of Cultivation Theory and how and where it is applicable. He also describes his Cultural Indicators project and what it has achieved.

Gerbner, George, Larry Gross, Michael Morgan and Nancy Signorelli. (1980) Violence Profile No. 11. Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania.

The most widely shared conceptions reality are cultivated by mass produced messages and images such as the repetitive pattern of television. Whithin particular subgroups, both positive and negative cultivation differentials can be taken as evidence of cultivation.

Gerbner, George. Culture Wars and the Liberating Alternative. Online: http://www.igc.apc.org/an/book/gerbner4.html/

Gerbner writes about why he founded the Cultural Environment Movement, using findings from his research with the Cultural Indicators project, which he also is head of. He gives a detailed account of his research findings and adds his Cultivation Theory to them to show their social ramifications.

Giroux, Luc and Jacques Pietle. (1997) The Theoretical Foundations of Media Education Programs. Transaction.

The Cultivation Theory expresses a contention that the media exercises a powerful influence on those exposed to it. Media forges the symbolic conventions that form people's conceptions of social reality. The attitudes of society as a whole are shaped by the media. Gerbner's views ignore the factors between the individual and the media.

Greek, Cecil. (1996) Media and Reality. Online: http://www.fsu.edu/~crimdo/lecture1.htm/

This lecture links Gerbner's Cultivation Theory with its social implications to rising crime rates and societal fears. A detailed summary of Cultivation Theory, along with summaries of other relevant theories, is included. It raises questions as to the validity of Cultivation Theory and all the so-called fear induced by violence in the media.

Hanclosky, Walter V. (1995) Principles of Media Development. Knowledge Industry Publications.

Intrapersonal communication is the reflection of an individual, modifying their interpretation of information contained in the media. Mass communications uses exclusively the media to deliver messages to an audience. Media is the agent responsible for affecting the behavior of large social groups.

Heath, Robert L. and Jennings Bryant. (1992) Human Communication Theory and Research: Concepts, Contexts, and Challenges. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Gerbner's research and Cultivation Theory, though criticized and contested, has had a great impact on communications theory by making television viewing an issue, especially the effects of violent television.

Lent, John A. (1995) A Different Road Taken: Profiles in Critical Communication. Westview Press, Inc.

This is an interview between John Lent and Georger Gerbner in Brazil, 19 August 1992. Gerbner tells his life story and discusses his research and contributions to mass media theory, especially his work on Cultivation Theory and television violence.

McQuail, Denis. (1985) Conflicts of Theory and Issues of New Information Policy. Transaction.

The "medium as content" theory of influence says the meaning of the message will have more to do with the cultural and institutional context of those producing and receiving it. Society centered theories such as that lower the estimate of media power. Thus, such theories believe media effects are controlable.

McQuivey, James. (1997) Fearing the "Mean World": Exploring the Victim-Offender Relationship's Influence on Fear of Violent Crime. Online: Murray, John P. Impact of Televised Violence. Online: http://www.ksu.edu/humec/impact.htm/

Murray uses the incidence findings from Gerbner's studies to illustrate just how much violence the average American is subject to by watching television. Types of programming, times of day, and types of violence are all taken into account and put into the context of the time period of 1967-1989.

Stossel, Scott. (1997) The Man Who Counts the Killings. The Atlantic Monthly. Online: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97may/gerbner.htm/

This profile of Gerbner and his work starts with a short biography of Gerbner. It then discusses incidences that link television violence and violent real-life acts. Also shown are other relevant studies and experiments that back up Gerbner's Cultivation Theory. The V-Chip is discussed in relation to the concerns raised by Gerbner's research along with related legislation. The Cultural Indicators project is described in detail, leading to the "Mean World Syndrome."

Tehranian, Majid. (1979) Development Theory and Communication Policy: The Changing Paradigms. Ablex.

Communications can play a critical role in development, depending on the policy pursued by the communications.

UCLA Center for Communication Policy. (1997) The UCLA Television Violence Report 1997. Online: http://ccp.ucla.edu/historic.htm/

George Gerbner's initial work in the field of television violence lead to his major contributions to the Surgeon General's Report on media violence in 1971. The report was criticized by a reviewing committee for being too tentative, but the committee was also criticized for being too conservative in their judgement. In the 1970s there were several incidents which might be used to bolster Cultivation Theory, and many other researchers began to expound on Gerbner's theories with their own research on violence in the media.

Wober, J. Mallory. (1988) The Use and Abuse of Television: A Social Psychological Analysis of the Changing Screen. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

This portion of the book contains a detailed explanation of Gerbner's theory, then in-depth criticisms of the theory. They criticize Gerbner's research results and reporting those results, his interpretations of his research and direct examples of how Gerbner has been contested and proven wrong. It then describes several relevant studies and their outcomes.