sed and then acquire positive feelings about the product. (Percy & Woodside,1983) An example of this when referring to children has been in hot controversy over the past few years. Cigarette companies are constantly trying to defend the fact that they try to lure young kids into the world of smoking through ads. These ads show attractive settings, maybe a beach with clear blue water and carefree and happy people, maybe a couple, of course with a cigarette. Kids who see this, observe a carefree, cool lifestyle want these benefits for themselves and begin smoking. This illustrates how easily children can be convinced.We always thought cartoons were harmless, animated figures are purely entertainment. However, kids begin with cartoons that easily socialize and next thing you know, “Americas young minds are spending two to four hours a day viewing… (t.v.).” (Spicher & Hudak,1997) Studies show that children recall more information if it’s presented verbally and visually- such as a t.v. screen.(Walma van der Molen & Van der Voort,1997) In a society where we use the boob tube as both entertainment and baby-sitter, an average 20 hours a week could be fatal. In these harmless cartoons, studies show that male characters outnumber female characters by about 4:1 and that only a small number of females are shown in non-traditional roles such as doctors or police officers. (S&H,1997) This dominance of males in authoritative jobs, feeds on our American division of labor and gender separation. “…Cartoons tell cultural stories that can’t help but inform young minds about who they are to become.”(S&H,1997)Classical conditioning plays a big role in media effect, especially in commercials. An attractive stimulus (UCS) will elicit favorable responses (UCR) and eventually viewers will be forced to make an association between the UCS and the product, creating a positive feeling (CS). If the commercial is ...
