History of the Scientific Study of Media Effects Chapter 3 History of the Scientific Study of Media Effects

The “Established” History Propaganda “Bullet” or “hypodermic-needle” theory Public Opinion (1922) Propaganda Technique in the World War (1927) Allied Propaganda and the Collapse of the German Empire in 1918 (1938)

A Revised History Acknowledgement of early studies by psychologists and sociologists Reevaluation of major studies Inclusion of studies omitted from “standard” scenario Importance attributed to particular scholars Emphasis on advances in research Identification of fundamental classification rules

Precursors of Media Effects Research Power of newspapers to either direct or reflect public opinion Effects of music on attention Effects of music on thoracic breathing Study of musical enjoyment Study of the nature and origin of humor as a mental process and functions of humor

Important Studies Frances Fenton Gabriel Tarde Study of the effects of media violence on behavior Gabriel Tarde Effects of reading about crimes Penal Philosophy (1912)

Some Pioneers in Media Effects Research Carl Hovland Paul F. Lazarsfeld Harold Lasswell Kurt Lewin Samuel A. Stouffer Douglas Waples

Carl Hovland Studied effects of training films on the attitudes of American soldiers Experimental research about media effects on attitude change

Paul Lazarsfeld Studied the effects of radio Interpersonal communication “opinion leaders”

Harold Lasswell Five-question model Pioneered content-analysis methods Studied propaganda Introduced Freudian psychoanalytic theory to the social sciences. Identified 3 important functions mass communications serve in society: Surveillance of the environment Correlation of society’s response to events in the environment Transmission of cultural heritage

Kurt Lewin Dynamics of group communication Experiments to explore the differences in persuasive power on audiences in different group conditions

Samuel Stouffer Pioneered the use of empirical research Precise statistical methods Studies of communications media

Douglas Waples Effects of print media: What Reading Does to People Famous definition of communication: “Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect” (Lasswell, 1948)

Interest in Media Effects Continues Wilbur Schramm Initiated the first PhD program in mass communication Mediating Factors Researchers began to focus experiments on the different reactions of people to the same media presentations. Selective exposure, selective perception, selective retention, and social categories perspectives

Attempts to Generalize About Effects: Bernard Berelson First researcher to make umbrella generalizations about mass communication effects Five variables are involved in the process of generalization: Communication Issues People Conditions Effects

Attempts to Generalize About Effects: Joseph Klapper The Effects of Mass Comunication (1960) Provided five generalizations about the effects of mass media messages

The 1970s and Beyond Albert Bandura Researchers began to examine: Social learning theory Social cognitive theory Researchers began to examine: More complex behavioral messages Changes in cognitive patterns Media effects on learning and knowledge

Final Points of Contention With the Standard History Inconsistencies during the bullet theory years: G.A. Lundberg found that mass media had only limited effects on audiences M.D. Beuick believed the effects of radio broadcasting were limited Same inconsistencies during the “limited effects” years Should I just list their names?

Future of Effects Research: Challenges Develop standard lines of demarcation to separate powerful, moderate, or limited effects Identify the circumstances, conditions, or variables that account for media effects and offer generalizations