The Cultivation Effects of Television Violence: Further Testing

A study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that heavy television viewing, particularly the viewing of a great deal of violence, cultivates certain misconceptions about social reality. Four counties in Florida were selected for the study on the basis of geographical location and amount of violent crime. Survey questionnaires were administered to 524 adolescents in their classrooms in May 1984, and to 507 adults via telephone interviews during the summer of 1984. The findings for the adolescent sample provided only scant evidence that television might alter perceptions of social reality in a way that is consistent with its content. However, adults who watch a great deal of television or regularly view programs containing a great deal of violence expressed a heightened sense of danger and selfishness. Even when such factors as education and income are taken into account, the relationship between television viewing or the viewing of violence programs and fear of violence remains significant. Further research should seek to determine more precisely the processes by which cultivation takes place or by which psychological and sociological factors affect both television viewing and perceptions of reality. (DF)