Social Sciences and History / Unit 9 SSH 0818 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Hypodermic, Minimal, Cultivation; Framing and Priming: Naming the Effect
The idea
The exam describes how media affect citizens and asks which theory or process it names, and the anchor gives three theories and three processes. Theories, in historical order from the nineteen twenties: the hypodermic theory, that information is placed in a citizen's brain and accepted; the minimal effects theory, later research finding little effect; cultivation theory, more recent, that media build a citizen's worldview through the information presented. Processes: agenda setting, choosing which issues get attention; framing, giving a story a context or background; priming, predisposing viewers to think a particular way.
In practice
Given "the network ran the drought story first every night for a month", agenda setting. Given "the story cast the tax as a burden on families rather than as revenue for schools", framing. Given "after a week of crime coverage, viewers judged the mayor on safety", priming. Given "the audience absorbs whatever the broadcast injects", the hypodermic theory. Given "media shape the world viewers believe they live in", cultivation. Ask whether the claim is about which topic, what context, what standard of judgment, or how much effect.
Where people slip
The trap is framing against priming: framing changes the story's context; priming changes the viewer's standard for judging what comes next. The second trap is the order of the theories; the anchor moves from strong effects to minimal to cultivation, not the reverse.
Your place on the trail
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