NCJ Number
77235
Journal
American Behavioral Scientist Volume: 23 Issue: 5 Dated: (May/June 1980) Pages: 705-716
Date Published
1980
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from the long-range cultural indicators project which studies the relationship between exposure to the symbolic world of television and conceptions of viewers about the real world.
Abstract
The paper describes television as an institution of general enculturation that serves primarily to maintain, stabilize, and reinforce conventional values, beliefs, and behaviors. The cultural indicators project used message system analysis to establish the composition and structure of television reality and then asked questions of samples of adults and children to determine what viewers absorbed from living in that world. The results indicated that violence-laden television not only cultivates aggressive tendencies in a minority but, perhaps more important, also generates a persvasive and exaggerated sense of danger and mistrust. In addition, the project's adolescent surveys revealed that adolescent heavy television viewers see the world as more violent and express more fear than do light viewers. Further, a significant relationship was found between the amount of television and the violence-related fears of 2,200 7 to 11-year-old children and their parents. The paper concludes that the use of television as an instrument for social control exacts a great human price. Suggested remedies include the encouragement of critical viewing skills and creative resources by educators and the creation of a freer television market. Six references are included.