Television and its Viewers: Cultivation Theory and Research

How does television influence people? Cultivation research examines the relationship between how much television people watch and what they believe: avid viewers’ beliefs are very different from those of occasional viewers. James Shanahan and Michael Morgan, leading scholars in this field, explore the differences in viewers’ beliefs on issues such as violence, sex roles and political attitudes. Their compelling account, the first book-length study of this important and controversial area, will be of interest to students and scholars in communication, sociology, political science and psychology.