Research unit 7 Discussion

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze if and how television affects peoples' perception

of society. Social learning theory and cultivation theory are introduced as two possible reasons

why television can have such an influence over its viewers. This report analyzes how body

image, stereotypes, and job glorification are affected by what is shown on television. An online

survey was taken by twenty-two people in order to see if the amount of television people

watched affected television's influence over its viewers. The questions attempted to analyze how

television affected their perceptions of themselves, others, and the professions of doctors,

lawyers, and police officers. Although the sample size was rather small the results showed that

reality television was affected by the frequency one watched television. However, more studies

should be conducted to analyze if realism or frequency plays a more predominant role in the

effects of television.

Key terms: Body image, Cultivation theory, Job glorification, Social learning theory,

Stereotypes, Television influence

Problem Statement

On average Americans, spend 2.8 hours watching television every day (American Time

Use Survey Summary). Television shows can be very influential to people, they have the ability

to move, inspire, and educate them. However, this may be causing people to believe that

television is always an accurate portrayal of real life. The belief that television shows are always

factual has the potential to affect one's judgments, which could lead to body image issues,

increased stereotyping, job glorification and more. "In addition to exposure to television, the

extent to which individuals perceive content as realistic is related to their social judgments"

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(Busselle 47). This paper will analyze if and how, through the factors set forth in the social

learning and cultivation theories, television affects peoples' perception of society.

Literature Review

In 1939 television first started being broadcasted, and ever since the effects television has

on its viewers has been the focus of many debates and concerns. The censorship of television

shows has greatly decreased since its early days. "In the 1950s and 1960s, networks and

advertisers imposed strict controls on what could be show on television" (Hanson 329). In the

early days of television, content was highly regulated and there were a lot of rules about what

was acceptable to show on television. For example, Laura and Rob Petrie, from the Dick Van

Dyke show, had to sleep in separate beds even though they were married. Even Lucille Balls’s

pregnancy caused great concern (Hanson 329). In the 1950s and 1960s, married couples were

shown sleeping separately; however, today it is commonplace to find unmarried couples sharing

a bed on television. Although the rules and regulations about what is appropriate to be shown on

television have been greatly relaxed, concerns are just as high about how television is

influencing society. This literature review will address the importance of television’s effects and

the theories of cultivation and social learning will be discussed as possible causes. Along with

this, body image issues, stereotyping and job glorification will be presented as possible effects of

television viewership.

Importance of Television Effects

Television has become an integral part of peoples' lives; not only is it a form of

entertainment, but it is also educates people. The popularity of television and the massive

number of television shows available to the public has also increased the concern."The extent of

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TV viewing in most [Western societies] has led leaders, politicians, and educators to express

their concern and worries regarding the effects of such viewing on society and its

youngsters"(Cohen and Weimann 99). As the role that television plays in peoples' lives

increases, so does the concern over how exactly television is affecting its viewers. The more

people watch and value television, the more it will influence and shape peoples' views, beliefs

and expectations.

The reality portrayed on television is influenced by stories and the actors portraying

them; however, the real world, life outside these influences, is not always the same as what is

depicted on television. Television shows and their creators have the ability to create a reality that

people may ultimately believe to be an accurate portrayal of the real world.

The mass production and rapid distribution of messages create new symbolic

environments that reflect the structure and functions of the institutions that transmit them.

These institutional processes of the mass-production messages short-circuit other

networks of social communication and superimpose their own forms of collective

consciousness-their own publics-upon other social relationships. (Gerbner 69)

The images that one sees on television portray how the writers, producers, directors, etc. see the

world. As one sees the messages repeatedly on the screen, they begin to creep into the minds of

the viewers, altering and shaping their views. "The notion is that living in a symbolic

environment in which certain types of institutions with certain types of objectives create certain

types of messages, tends to cultivate (support, sustain, and nourish) certain types of collective

consciousness" (Morgan and Shanahan 339). As one continuously sees the same images, events,

and realities portrayed on the screen, they become expected. For example, those who watch a lot

of news programming may believe that crime rates are higher than they actually are. This is

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because acts of crime are frequently reported on the news. The repetitiveness of television affects

the way people view society; as one sees these images play out over and over again on television

they become the norm.

Cultivation Theory and Social Learning Theory

There has been a lot of research done on the different effects that television can have on

its viewers. According to research done by Bryant and Miron, cultivation and social learning

theory are two of the most popular theories in mass communication (Bryant and Miron 673).

Cultivation theory states that, the more television someone watches, the more they will

experience its affects. "The most familiar version of the cultivation hypothesis is that those who

spend more time watching television are more likely to perceive the real world in ways that

reflect the most common and recurrent messages of the world of fictional television" (Morgan

and Shanahan 337). The main idea behind cultivation theory is that the more television one

watches, the more likely they will perceive the real world to be like they see on television. Social

learning theory states that people learn by example. "People’s behaviors are learned through

observation and modeling" (Jeffres et al. 104). People learn by watching and then they emulate

what they see. Cultivation theory and social learning theory are two main theories used to

explain the effects of television.

George Gerbner, who introduced cultivation, was one of the first people to do research on

the effects of [mass communication] which he described as, "large message systems" (Gerbner

71). Television is an example of mass communication since it allows for an exorbitant amount

of information to be sent rapidly to millions of people. When Gerbner first started to do his

research, television and the effects it could have were relatively new. He eventually introduced

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several theories, including cultivation theory, as reasons for how television and mass media

would forever change public views.

Mass communication, including television, often shows people a singular view of the

world. The same views and ideas are shown repeatedly on different television shows every day.

“The rise of mass communication is a profound change in the management of information, and in

the creation of the common symbolic environment that gives public direction and meaning to

human activity” (Gerbner, 70-1). As one sees and hears the same views everyday, they become

accepted as the norm. The television shows that are watched every night have given people the

foundation for what goes on in the real world.

Although social learning theory is not quite as popular as cultivation theory it still offers

profound insights into the effects of television viewing; social learning theory was created by

Albert Bandura. Humans in general are very visual and learn best through examples. "We are

able to learn by observing what others do and the consequences they face" (Hanson 60). Humans

learn from examples, children try to copy their parents, teenagers try to be like their friends or

that one person they wish they were. People learn from others’ mistakes and try to recreate their

successes. Television provides people with a wealth of mistakes and success stories that can be

emulated.

Effects of Television

The effect television viewing can have on body image is often criticized. The use of

"thin-ideal media" on television is one of the main causes for this concern (Van Vonderen and

Kinnally 42). Thin-ideal media is media that constantly uses thin female characters and promotes

thinness as a desirable attribute that often leads to the most success (Van Vonderen and Kinnally

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43). When one turns on the television, they are exposed to images of beautiful men and women.

These beautiful actors on television are causing people, especially women, to desire to look the

same way. "In 1972, 23 percent of U.S. women said that they were dissatisfied with their overall

appearance. By 1996 that figure had grown to 48 percent" (Hanson 170). Women see these

actresses on television as having the perfect body and they become unhappy with their own

bodies, lowering their self-esteem. This increase in body dissatisfaction is causing more women

to be affected by eating disorders. "It is no secret that a significant number of girls and young

women suffer from eating disorders as their quest to find to find beauty through thinness"

(Hanson 170). As the obsession with being thin grows more and more, young girls are becoming

anorexic or bulimic in an effort to get thinner. These actors on television are seen as role models,

which is causing the desire to be thin, in order to be just like them, to grow rapidly.

The more people watch television and are exposed to thin-ideal media the more likely

they will see these bodies as normal. "Women who are exposed to heavy amounts of thin ideal

media are likely to accept this as the norm" (Van Vonderen and Kinnally 43). The more women

see these thin actresses on television, the more likely they will be to see this as the normal and

ideal body weight. When women see these women with perfect bodies, they feel as though their

bodies should look just like theirs. However, actors such as, "the much-photographed Jennifer

Aniston is an impossible (for most women) size zero" (Hanson 170). It does not matter that most

women will never be able to be a size zero, it is still what many women hope to be.

There has not always been this obsession with thinness. "The body size of women

portrayed in mass media has been steadily getting smaller" (Van Vonderen and Kinnally 42).

Today, many of the biggest actresses are super thin; however, this is more of a recent

phenomenon. In fact, according to today's standards [Marilyn Monroe] would be considered a

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plus-sized model (Hanson 170). What was once considered the perfect body is now a body many

people would be ashamed of. The fact that the size of the perfect body has decreased, along with

the average size of actresses, supports the idea of cultivation; that what one sees on television is

seen as normal. Not only can television affect one’s image of themself, but it can also affect how

they view others.

The way that televisions aids in the formation of stereotypes is another concern for many

people. Television can play a role in the formation of both gender and racial stereotypes. "Aside

from the problem that people on television comedies and dramas are not only attractive and

funny but, also resolve problems in less than an hour, there are complaints that television

presents a world that is overwhelmingly white, male, and middle class" (Hanson 320). The

demographics on television are not representative of society; oftentimes, women and minorities

are pushed to the side. Not only are minorities under represented; they are often portrayed in a

less favorable light. "Minority groups argue that the media serve up stereotypic images that

conflict with reality" (Jeffres et al. 105). In general minorities feel that the images presented on

television are overtly stereotypical and clash with the real world. The way people are portrayed

on television can lead to people believing that this is an accurate description of how people truly

act. "According to Bandura, people’s behaviors are learned through observation and modeling;

thus exposure to media images leads to the formation of social stereotypes" (Jeffres et al. 104).

Television offers people a glimpse into worlds they would otherwise be unfamiliar with;

however, what they take away from it may not always be accurate and can lead to misguided

assumptions about others.

Television does not only affect peoples' perception of other people, it also affects how

they see certain professions. There are hundreds of shows about police officers, doctors, and

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lawyers all over television. In half an hour to an hour’s time, a television show tries to depict the

daily lives of these various professions. In one hour a doctor identifies a rare disease and cures it,

a lawyer is able to win a huge case, and a crime is solved from start to finish. These over

exaggerations of events on television may lead the public to believe these inaccuracies are the

truth. "Cultivation theory posits that frequent viewing of these distortions of reality will

increasingly result in the perception that these distortions reflect reality" (Shrum 511). People

that frequently watch these shows with an exaggerated reality may truly believe that what they

are watching reflects what really goes on in the life of a doctor, lawyer, or police officer. These

distorted realities could lead to complications in the real world as people try to apply what they

see on television to the real world.

Shows that involve the medical profession are very popular amongst television viewers;

however, what is seen on these shows is not always realistic. Medical dramas offer people

insights into the world of medicine and are where they get a lot of their information. "Numerous

studies have noted the popularity of medical dramas, as well as the ways in which viewers use

entertainment programs as a basis for their knowledge about medicine" (Strauman and Goodier

32). Just as most shows, the hero always saves the day, in medical shows, the doctor is the hero

and has all the answers. However, there is "concern from physicians that overly positive

representations set unrealistic expectations for patients" (Strauman and Goodier 33). In real life

doctors cannot save every patient and they definitely do not have all the answers. These

television shows that constantly portray the heroic doctors may lead people to expect more from

their doctors than is actually possible. Although the writers try to be as accurate as possible by

having experts in the field available for consultation it does not mean that certain aspects are not

exaggerated or always feasible.

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Lawyers are also predominant fixtures on television. One can turn on the television and

somewhere they can find a show that involves lawyers. People learn a lot about lawyers from

what they see on these television shows. A study conducted by Pfau, Mullen, Diedrich and

Garrow found that, "television's portrayals of attorneys influence the public's perceptions of

attorneys" (Pfau and Mullen). Many people have not had a lot of experience with lawyers, so

almost all of their information comes from what they see on television. The lack of overall

experience with lawyers, combined with frequent viewing of legal shows, may lead to viewers

having an exaggerated view of lawyers.

Along with the medical and legal fields, the forensics field is also a popular and

misrepresented career. Many times in shows, like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, viewers will

see characters do things that cannot actually be done. "The inaccuracies in these shows have to

do with stretching the science beyond what normally occurs, or taking computer graphics and

making science do something it can't" (qtd. in Stanton). The main goal of a television show is to

entertain and these shows take a lot of creative liberties when writing. Although these shows

often exaggerate what science can actually do, sometimes the science depicted does actually

exist. However, most labs would not have access to the tools needed to make use of the

procedures. According to Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist and producer on the television

show Bones, "some of the things that we use, does any crime lab that I've ever seen have them?

No, because it is too expensive, but they do exist"(watchmojo.com). Sometimes the science does

exist; however, the cost of the using it is too high for most labs. The exaggerations of these

forensic shows have also even been known to influence jurors on criminal cases.

In 2003, the CSI Effect was introduced to demonstrate the effect that shows like CSI can

have on jurors. "The CSI Effect is the notion that crime show viewing influences jurors to have

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unrealistic expectations of forensic evidence, which then affects their trial decisions" (Hayes and

Levett 216). Viewing television shows that revolve around criminal investigation could lead the

jurors to expect things that are just not realistic. For example, they may always want forensic

evidence, which is not always possible (Hayes and Levett 216-17). When no forensic evidence is

available, doubts in the prosecution may arise in the minds of jurors. In shows like CSI they

always find all the answers and there is always that smoking gun that points them directly to the

bad guy. However, in the real world, evidence just does not work that way.

As these examples show, television plays a major part in a lot of people's lives and it is

important to understand what the effects television viewing can have. The theories of cultivation

and social learning introduce reasons for why television can have such an impact on someone.

People watch a good amount of television everyday and they get a lot of information about areas

that they would not otherwise be familiar. The information gained from watching television can

cause people to develop an unrealistic perception of themselves, others, or even a potential

career. The effects that television can have should not be taken lightly and they are important to

understand in order to limit the negative effects that they could potentially have on someone's

life.

The purpose of this study is to determine how cultivation and social learning theory affect

people's perception of society. Other research has studied how television viewing can influence

certain things such as body image and stereotypes. However, not a lot of research has been done

on whether or not those who watch more television are likely to believe what they see on

television, causing them to be more affected by its content. Those who watch more television

have a higher exposure to the images and messages presented on television, which should result

in them believing these portrayals to be accurate. They will also have more opportunities to learn

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from the examples set forth by these shows. Based on research, the hypothesis for this study is

that those who watch more television will be more likely to accept what is shown on television

as the truth and be more susceptible to the affects of television.

Method

An online survey was conducted of adults ages eighteen to forty-nine. The reason this

survey targeted those between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine is because this demographic is

seen as the most valuable among television networks because it brings in the most money from

advertisers. The revenue, from advertising, that can be brought in from this age group often

causes television networks to cater their shows towards them (Pomerantz 40). This survey was

purposive in focusing on a targeted age group; however, the survey was not random and thus

cannot be representative of a population. The survey also uses a rating scale so participants were

not able to explain why they chose the answers they did.

The participants were asked a series of questions designed to show how their perceptions

were affected by television. They were asked questions pertaining to four specific areas: realism,

body image, stereotypes, and job glorification. The questions in the realism section were

designed to measure how accurate and realistic people believe television shows to be. Some of

these questions were based on questions asked in earlier research, specifically Busselle's article

"Television Exposure, Perceived Realism, and Exemplar Accessibility in the Social Judgment

Process". The body image section asked people to think about how television affected the

perceptions of their own bodies as well as others. The questions pertaining stereotypes were

designed to see how people felt their race and gender were portrayed on television. It also

attempts to see if people assume certain people will act a certain way based on what they see on

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television. Finally, the questions on job glorification were designed to get a sense of the

participants’ perceptions of different careers, specifically doctors, lawyers, and police officers.

Results

Participants

A total of twenty-two people took the online survey, 55 percent of them were female and

45 percent male. A majority, 59 percent of the participants, were between the ages of eighteen

and twenty-five, 18 percent were twenty-six to thirty-three, 9 percent were thirty-four to forty-

one, and 14 percent were forty-two to forty-nine. Most of the participants would be considered

light to moderate television viewers, with 32 percent watching less than one hour of television a

day and 45 percent watching one to two hours daily. Only 18 percent reported watching three to

four hours and 5 percent said they watch four or more hours of television a day.

Participants were asked to rank the order in which they watched certain genres, one being

the most frequently and six being the least frequent. The genres that were ranked one to three

were considered the most frequently watched. The top three genres watched were comedies,

crime dramas, and reality.

0%

50%

100%

Comedy Crime Drama Reality News Medical Drama

Science Fiction

Frequency Genre Most Watched

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Realism

Based on the data received from the survey, all of the participants understand that

television does take creative liberties. Four questions were asked pertaining to the accuracy and

realism of television shows and none of the participants strongly agreed with any of the

questions regarding televisions accuracy or realism. Fifty-five percent of the participants agreed

that the crime shown on television is similar to the crime in the real world, 36 percent disagreed

and 9 percent strongly disagreed. However, the participants that reported watching crime dramas

the most frequently were less likely to agree with the accuracy of the crime on television. Only

42 percent agreed, 50 percent disagreed, and 8 percent strongly disagreed.

Most of the participants did not believe that the illnesses and procedures shown on

medical dramas were common in the real world, 33 percent of the participants agreed, 59 percent

disagreed, and 9 percent strongly disagreed. None of the participants that reported medical

dramas as one of their most frequently watched genres agreed that the illnesses and procedures

were common, 60 percent disagreed and 40 percent strongly disagreed.

Most of the participants, 68 percent, felt that the portrayal of cops was somewhat accurate

and 32 percent believed it was not accurate. Of the participants that watched the most crime

dramas, 58 percent believed that the portrayal of cops was somewhat accurate and 42 percent felt

it was not accurate.

Participants' feelings towards the accuracy of television did not increase with the amount

of television that they watched. Overall most participants, 82 percent, felt that television shows

were somewhat accurate. Eighty percent of the participants who watched the most television,

three or more hours a day, considered television shows to be somewhat accurate and 82 percent

of those who watched two hours or less felt that television shows are somewhat accurate.

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Body Image

It is clear from the results that females are more likely to believe that actors and actresses

have the ideal body, 83 percent of females agreed, 8 percent strongly agreed and 8 percent

disagreed. However, men were split over actors and actresses having the ideal body. Fifty

percent of them agreed but 40 percent disagreed, 10 percent strongly disagreed, and no men

strongly agreed.

Females were also more likely to compare themselves to those on television. 41 percent

of females agreed or strongly agreed that they often compare themselves to those on television

while 30 percent of men said they compare themselves to those on television. Most participants

said that they did not compare members of the opposite sex to people on television, only 18

percent agreed, 25 percent of females and 10 percent of males.

Stereotypes

Those that watch reality television shows the most frequently are not as comfortable with

how their race or their gender is being portrayed on television. None of the participants who said

they watched reality television less frequently than other genres felt uncomfortable with how

their race or gender is portrayed. However, 27 percent of those that most frequently watched

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Not Accurate Somewhat Accurate Very Accurate

Perceived Accuracy of Television

2 Hours or Less

Three or More Hours

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reality television did not feel comfortable with how their race was portrayed. Also, 63 percent

said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: I feel comfortable with how my

gender is portrayed on television.

Only 32 percent of participants felt their values were similar to those shown on

television, while 45 percent disagreed and 23 percent strongly disagreed. Most participants, 59

percent, either disagreed or strongly disagreed, that reality television is a true representation of

how people act while only 41 percent agreed. However, most did believe that reality television

did increase stereotyping, 95 percent agreed or strongly agreed.

Job Glorification

The survey analyzed how the participants felt the position of doctors, lawyers, and police

officers are portrayed on television. Most participants felt that each of these professions were

0%

50%

100%

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Comfortable with Race Portrayal

Most Reality

Least Reality

0%

50%

100%

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Comfortable with Gender Portrayal

Most Reality

Least Reality

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over glamorized on television. At 77 percent, the position of a doctor received the highest

number of participants believing that it was over glamorized, followed by lawyers at 68 percent,

and finally police officers at 64 percent.

Discussion

With all of the television people consume it is important to understand how what is

shown on television affects peoples’ lives and how they perceive the world. The purpose of this

study was to determine if those who watched the most television were more susceptible to its

effects. This study analyzed the amount of television the participants watched and how

frequently they viewed certain genres: crime dramas, medical dramas, and reality and how it

affected their perceptions. The study focused on how television affected peoples' views on body

image, stereotypes and job glorification. Despite the research the findings of this study did not

fully support the hypothesis that the more television one watches the more they will be affected

by it.

This study only included people between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine. However, a

study of younger people may have resulted television having a greater influence. "It is generally

assumed that younger children are more susceptible to media effects because they are less able to

evaluate content critically"(Cohen and Weiman 112). Younger people are more susceptible to

what they see on television, which is ultimately what leads to influence. If someone believes

what he or she see on television as the truth, it should have more of an influence on him or her.

The more realistic one believes a television show to be should translate into how its

content affects them. "Perceived realism may affect social judgments or, as Potter argued, it may

interact with exposure to influence social perceptions" (Busselle 47). The more realistic a person

believes a show to be, the more likely it is to influence their perceptions of the real world. In this

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study the majority of participants believed television shows to be only somewhat accurate and

none of them believed television to be very accurate. This suggests that the participants are

aware of television’s exaggerations and thus may adjust their perceptions accordingly, which

could be the reason the effects of television are not as strong as originally predicted.

Television's influence on body image is very interesting. Both the male and female

participants were asked the questions regarding body image; however, females were most greatly

affected and thus require a more in depth analysis. Although most women believed that the

actors and actresses had the ideal body, many of them did not compare themselves or others to

them. The idea that a thin body is a perfect body is present all over, not just on television. "There

exists a weight prejudice in our society that is reinforced not only by media, but also by social

interactions with peers and parents"(Van Vonderen and Kinnally 42). It is important to

understand that friends and family also contribute to one’s ideas of the ideal body. More

information is needed to determine what influences, outside television, may be affecting the

participants regarding body image and their idea of the ideal body. Television may just be

reinforcing what many already believe to be the ideal body. This would result in many women

believing that actors and actresses on television have the perfect body, however, they may be

influenced and comparing themselves to people closer to them, such as family and friends.

According to cultivation theory, those that watch more television or more of a certain

genre should experience a greater influence of its content; however, the results of this study did

not support that. In fact, those who watched the most crime dramas and medical dramas were

actually less influenced by its content. The more crime shows a participant watched, the less

accurate they believed the content to be. Medical dramas experienced the same phenomenon, the

more medical shows a participant watched, the less accurate they believed the content to be.

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"Mental shortcuts used while processing TV messages incline heavy viewers to rely more on

those messages when constructing judgments about the world, based on frequency, recency, and

vividness" (Morgan and Shanahan 344). Those that watch a lot of television should be more

affected by its content; however, many of the participants in the study were not considered heavy

television viewers. Although the participants may have most frequently watched crime dramas or

medical dramas, if they were not heavy viewers it might not have had the same influence. When

analyzing the participants overall view of television accuracy and realism, it too did not increase

with the more television they watched. This can also be explained by the fact that a majority of

the participants where light viewers.

Unlike crime dramas and medical dramas, those that found themselves watching reality

television the most frequently seemed to be affected by its content. The goal of reality television

is to entertain, and conflict is one of the biggest providers of entertainment. When reality shows

cast people they are looking to bring in people that will help bring about conflict. "The success

of many shows (especially docusoaps) hinges on the ability to cast a diverse group of individuals

whose cultural worldviews will clash on screen" (Orbe 349). Shows choose people who will

bring very different views to the table in an effort to drum up tension and conflict. These shows

will also tweak things while filming and in the editing room to get the most out of every

situation. "Shows occur within surreal or abnormal situations, participants are oftentimes

coached or directed by producers, and what is seen by viewers is manipulated through various

postproduction editing techniques that maximize the intensity of the product" (Orbe 346). What

is shown on reality television shows may not be scripted; however, directors and producers have

ways to guiding the cast in the direction they want them to go. The use of conflict and perhaps

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exaggeration of what is shown on television may have led to reality television having the greatest

effects on its viewers.

The participants that reported watching the most reality television are the only ones who

said they were not comfortable with how their race and, or, gender was portrayed on television.

Although some participants reported feeling uncomfortable with how their race was portrayed on

television, there was an even higher number of participants that felt uncomfortable about their

gender’s representation. If the majority of the respondents were not considered a minority this

could account for the discretion between race and gender. Had there been a larger selection of

minority participants the results may have been different.

When it came to the section on job glorification, there was a connection between how

accurate the participants felt illnesses, crimes, and police officers were, and their respective

careers. Although no question was asked about the accuracy of the casework of lawyers, they are

often tied into shows that also deal with crime, thus the accuracy of crime can influence lawyers’

cases. However, more specific research should be done to verify these findings with questions

that are more specific to lawyers. When the participants were asked about the accuracy of crime,

illnesses, and police officers, they felt illnesses were the least accurate, followed by crime, and

finally the police. This order then translated over to job glorification where they found the

position of a doctor to be the most glorified, followed by lawyers, and then police officers. This

supports the idea that the more realistic a show is believed to be, the more it will influence

peoples' perceptions. The less accurate the participants felt a career was, the more they felt the

job was glorified.

The theories of cultivation and social learning were only supported when dealing with

reality television. Reality television is the only genre that has a positive relationship between

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frequency and perception. According to the findings of this study, how accurate and realistic

someone believed a television show to be had the strongest impact on its influence. More

research should be conducted with a larger and more diverse sample to determine if realism or

frequency has a stronger impact on televisions influence.

Conclusion

People are engrossed and influenced by what they see on television. Television transports

its viewers into another world. Entertainment might be television’s ultimate goal, but it

introduces people, places, and things that may have otherwise remained a mystery. The worlds

introduced on television are seductive and enthralling, easy to believe, and coveted. These

perfect worlds have the potential to affect how people see themselves, others, and even careers.

Americans spend a lot of time watching television, so it is important to truly realize and

understand how it affects people and the way they see the world. The amount of television

people watch makes it a powerful tool in shaping and influencing their perceptions. If one

believes everything shown on television, it can lead to negative assumptions and perceptions of

the real world.

The purpose of this study was to introduce the potential effects of television and to

explain why these effects potentially occur. Cultivation and social learning theories provided

strong and reasonable evidence as to how and why television can be so influential. However, the

study conducted showed that realism might be the true indicator of how influential television is.

More research should be done to analyze where televisions influence truly comes from.

Television and media have come a long way since its conception but its effects and

influence are still cause for great concern. The way people now rely so heavily on television and

media will likely cause these concerns to grow. The potential consequences of television’s

Sample Student Paper21

influence are serious and should not be ignored. A better understanding of how television affects

people may help diminish some of its negative effects.

Sample Student Paper22

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Sample Student Paper24

library.kean.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&Aut

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live&scope=site >.

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