Assumptions about Television Selectivity
A first assumption of cultivation scholars is that television content is
relatively consistent (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). There is a ”pattern of
settings, casting, social typing, actions, and related outcomes that
cuts across most program types and defines the world of television”
(Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, & Signorielli, 1986, p. 19). Scholars, though,
have located content and thematic differences across program types and
dayparts (Gerbner et al., 1979; Greenberg, 1980; Potter & Ware, 1987).
A second assumption of cultivation is that television viewing is
nonselective and ritualistic (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). People watch ”by
the clock” and watch ”whatever is offered to them” (Gerbner, 1990, p.
254). There have been several challenges to this assumption. Studies
have observed that exposure to different program types better explains
cultivation effects than overall television exposure (Hawkins &
Pingree, 1981; Potter & Chang, 1990; Rubin et al., 1988). Cultivation
of different perceptions and attitudes in people appears to be related
to exposure to specific television program genres, rather than to
undifferentiated television exposure.