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Cultivation Theory and Medical Dramas

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Cultivation Theory and Medical Dramas University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Master's Theses Graduate School 2011 CULTIVATING MIRACLE PERCEPTIONS: CULTIVATION THEORY AND MEDICAL DRAMAS Rachael A. Record University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Record, Rachael A., "CULTIVATING MIRACLE PERCEPTIONS: CULTIVATION THEORY AND MEDICAL DRAMAS" (2011). University of Kentucky Master's Theses. 148. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/148 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF THESIS CULTIVATING MIRACLE PERCEPTIONS: CULTIVATION THEORY AND MEDICAL DRAMAS This thesis reports the results of a study designed to investigate the influence of exposure to televised medical dramas on perceptions of medical miracles. Four hundred and eighty-one college students participated in a survey in which they responded to different questions about their medical drama viewership and their different beliefs with regard to medical miracles. Results found that heavy medical drama viewers perceived belief in medical miracles to be less normal than non-viewers. Similarly, heavy viewers perceived medical miracles to occur less often than non-viewers. Interestingly, heavy viewers perceived medical dramas to be less credible than non-viewers. In addition, this study found that personal experience with medical miracles affected responses across all three measured viewership levels. The study concludes that, when compared to no exposure to medical dramas, heavy exposure has the potential for creating a more realistic view of medical miracles. Future research should continue to study genre- specific cultivation effects with regard to health perceptions. KEYWORDS: Communication, Cultivation Theory, Medical Drama, Medical Miracle, Television Viewing Rachael A. Record June 15, 2011 CULTIVATING MIRACLE PERCEPTIONS: CULTIVATION THEORY AND MEDICAL DRAMAS By Rachael A. Record Dr. Nancy G. Harrington Director of Thesis Dr. Timothy L. Sellnow Director of Graduate Studies June 15, 2011 RULES FOR THE USE OF THESIS Unpublished theses submitted for the Master‘s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments. Extensive copying or publication of the thesis in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this thesis for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date THESIS Rachael A. Record The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2011 CULTIVATING MIRACLE PERCEPTIONS: CULTIVATION THEORY AND MEDICAL DRAMAS _________________________________________________ THESIS _________________________________________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the College of Communications and Information Studies at the University of Kentucky By Rachael A. Record Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Nancy G. Harrington, Professor of Communication Lexington, Kentucky 2011 Copyright © Rachael A. Record 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis project would not have been possible without the support, encouragement, and guidance of my committee. First, I thank Dr.‘s Donald Helme and Deborah Chung, members of my committee, for always having their doors open to me as I worked through this project. Secondly, I extend a special thanks to Dr. Nancy Harrington, my chair, for all of the time and support she provided to me. Her guidance shaped not only this project, but me as a researcher. I am very fortunate to of had her as my committee chair. Additionally, I would like to thank my friends and family for their unwavering support. This project would not have been accomplished without my parents encouraging me to follow my dreams, my aunt‘s always being a support system I could turn to, or my friends sticking by my side even when there were thousands of miles between us. Thank you to everyone who supported and guided me through this journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... iv Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 Chapter Two: Literature Review ..................................................................................... 3 Cultivation Theory ............................................................................................... 3 Origin ....................................................................................................... 3 General Viewing to Genre-specific Viewing ........................................... 4 Measuring Viewership ............................................................................. 6 Cultivation and Medical Dramas ............................................................. 8 Medical Dramas .................................................................................................. 10 Medical Miracles ................................................................................................. 14 Importance ........................................................................................................... 16 Hypotheses ........................................................................................................... 18 Chapter Three: Methods .................................................................................................. 21 Procedures ............................................................................................................ 21 Measures .............................................................................................................. 21 Medical Drama Exposure Measure .......................................................... 22 Trust in Modern Medicine ...................................................................... 22 Medical Miracle Belief ............................................................................ 23 Medical Miracle Occurrence.................................................................... 23 Medical Drama Credibility ...................................................................... 24 Personal Experience with Medical Miracles............................................ 24 Chapter Four: Results ...................................................................................................... 25 Results .................................................................................................................. 25 Measuring Medical Drama Viewership ................................................... 25 TMM ....................................................................................................... 25 MMB ........................................................................................................ 28 MMO........................................................................................................ 28 MDC ........................................................................................................ 31 PMME ...................................................................................................... 34 iv Chapter Five: Discussion ................................................................................................. 39 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 39 Limitations & Future Directions .......................................................................... 45 Chapter Six: Conclusion .................................................................................................. 48 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 48 Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix A .......................................................................................................... 50 Appendix B .......................................................................................................... 51 References ........................................................................................................................ 56 Vita…. .............................................................................................................................. 63 v List of Tables Table 4.1, Demographics- Gender ................................................................................... 26 Table 4.2, Demographics- Age ........................................................................................ 26 Table 4.3, Demographics- Ethnicity ................................................................................ 26 Table 4.4, Total Medical Drama Exposure .....................................................................
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