The Influence of Closeness on Cultivation Effects

• In Event: Clarifying and Advancing Theory in Mass Communication Research (TOP PAPER ENTRY)

Abstract

This study investigates the different processes that supposedly underlie cultivation effects. We tested whether closeness of a topic to a recipient’s everyday life is relevant in determining which process applies. We hereby expect on-line judgments for topics close to a recipient and memory-based judgments for distant domains. To test our assumption, we conducted an online survey (n=451) and manipulated processing strategy (heuristic version: time pressure imposed when giving cultivation judgments; systematic version: no time pressure). Only for memory-based judgments, the cultivation effect should be prone to this manipulation. As topic, we chose occupational roles of police officers. The occupational role served as variation of closeness within the sample whereas perceptions of the police served as dependent variables to test for cultivation. Results show the expected effects for crime shows (fictional content). Implications for the future measurement of cultivation effects are discussed.

Authors

• Christine E. Meltzer, U of Mainz

• Anna Schnauber, U of Mainz