The Ecology of Cultivation: A Conceptual Model for CuItivation Research

Abstract

Three classes of anomalies are presented that call into question the adequacy of the cultivation hypothesis as currently formulated. The three classes center on the direction of the relationship between television exposure and world-view, the linearity of the relationship, and the symmetry of the relationship. To account for these anomalies, a conceptual model of the process of world-view construction from long-term television exposure is presented. The motivation behind the model stems from the realization that cultivation takes place in a distinct temporal sequence. To accurately capture the implications of this sequence an ecologically valid view of the cultivation process must be developed. The model includes several classes of variables that encompass the entire temporal sequence involved in constructing world-view from television exposure. These variables are theorized to interact with each other, and with television viewing, to differentially affect world view. Examples are provided to suggest ways in which the model cun be used to explain each of the anomalies. Finally, a strategy for using the model for future theorizing is discussed.

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