George Gerbner¿s cultivation theory provides a framework for the analysis of relationships
between television viewing and attitudes and beliefs about the world. Since the 1970s
cultivation analysis has been a lens through which to examine television¿s contributions to
conceptions of violence sex roles political attitudes and numerous other phenomena. Hundreds
of studies during this time have (mostly) found that there are relationships between television
exposure and people¿s worldviews but important questions remain: just how big are these
relationships are they real are some people more vulnerable to them than others do they vary
across different topics and will we continue to find them in new media environments? In this
collection of nineteen chapters leading scholars review and assess the most significant
developments in cultivation research in the past ten years. The book highlights cutting-edge
research related to these questions and surveys important recent advances in this evolving body
of work. The contributors point us toward new directions and fresh challenges for cultivation
theory and research in the future.
