MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 9a Mass Media Popular Culture

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on 9a Mass Media Popular Culture, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is the looking-glass self (Cooley)?

Answer: Self-concept shaped by imagining how others perceive and judge you. We develop identity through perceived reflections from others.

Flashcard 2: What is the spiral of silence theory about expressing opinions in public?

Answer: People with minority views stay silent to avoid social isolation. Fear of isolation suppresses unpopular opinions.

Flashcard 3: What is the mean world syndrome predicted by cultivation theory?

Answer: Heavy TV viewing increases belief that the world is dangerous. Overrepresentation of violence distorts risk perception.

Flashcard 4: What is the looking-glass self, and how can media shape it?

Answer: Self-concept from perceived others' views; media provides salient "others". Cooley's concept: we see ourselves through others' eyes.

Flashcard 5: What is the generalized other in Mead's theory?

Answer: Internalized expectations of society used to guide behavior. Represents collective attitudes that individuals consider when acting.

Flashcard 6: Which agent of socialization is most associated with formal curriculum and hidden curriculum?

Answer: School. Teaches both explicit knowledge and implicit social rules.

Flashcard 7: Identify the concept: a person accepts a media claim as true because it seems authoritative.

Answer: Informational social influence. Accepting information from seemingly credible sources.

Flashcard 8: Identify the concept: A teen imitates a viral challenge after watching it online.

Answer: Social learning (observational learning). Social learning theory posits that behaviors are acquired through observing and imitating models, as in media portrayals that demonstrate actions and consequences.

Flashcard 9: What is the difference between the "I" and the "me" in Mead's model?

Answer: I: spontaneous self; me: internalized social self. The 'I' acts freely; the 'me' reflects social expectations.

Flashcard 10: What is the spiral of silence theory?

Answer: People conceal minority opinions to avoid isolation. Fear of social rejection silences dissenting voices.

Flashcard 11: What is popular culture?

Answer: Widely shared cultural products, ideas, and practices in a society. Includes entertainment, fashion, and trends consumed by mainstream society.

Flashcard 12: What is the looking-glass self?

Answer: Self-concept shaped by how one believes others perceive and judge them. Cooley's theory: we see ourselves through others' eyes.

Flashcard 13: What is selective retention in media effects?

Answer: Remembering information that supports existing beliefs more than opposing. Memory favors attitude-consistent over inconsistent content.

Flashcard 14: What is mass media in the context of socialization and social influence?

Answer: Large-scale communication reaching broad audiences (TV, internet, radio, print). Channels that transmit information to many people simultaneously.

Flashcard 15: Which agent of socialization is most associated with early childhood learning of norms?

Answer: Family. Primary socializers who transmit basic values from birth.

Flashcard 16: What is the third-person effect in mass media?

Answer: Belief that media affect others more than oneself. Perceptual bias underestimating media's influence on self.

Flashcard 17: What is uses and gratifications theory of media consumption?

Answer: People actively choose media to satisfy needs (information, identity, social). Audiences are active, not passive, media consumers.

Flashcard 18: What is the definition of a social norm?

Answer: Shared rule or expectation that guides behavior in a group. Can be formal laws or informal customs like personal space.

Flashcard 19: What is socialization?

Answer: Learning norms, values, roles, and behaviors of a society. Process through which individuals internalize cultural expectations.

Flashcard 20: What is a social role, in the context of media socialization?

Answer: A set of expected behaviors tied to a social status that media can portray. Media representations shape how people understand and perform social positions.

Flashcard 21: What is selective exposure in media consumption?

Answer: Preferring media that aligns with existing beliefs and avoiding dissonant content. Cognitive dissonance drives people to seek confirming media and avoid challenging views.

Flashcard 22: What is framing in mass media?

Answer: Presenting issues in ways that shape interpretation and evaluation. Word choice and context influence audience understanding.

Flashcard 23: What is cultivation theory, and what does it predict about heavy TV viewing?

Answer: Heavy viewing shapes perceptions of reality toward TV portrayals. Long-term exposure makes TV's world seem like real world.

Flashcard 24: What is stereotype threat in the context of media stereotypes and performance?

Answer: Anxiety about confirming a stereotype that impairs performance. Fear of confirming negative stereotypes disrupts cognitive resources.

Flashcard 25: Identify the concept: people watch a show mainly for escapism and mood management.

Answer: Uses and gratifications theory. Audiences actively choose media to fulfill specific needs.

Flashcard 26: Identify the concept: News coverage emphasizes crime, increasing fear of victimization.

Answer: Cultivation theory. Cultivation theory illustrates how repeated media depictions of violence or crime can distort viewers' perceptions, fostering an exaggerated sense of societal danger.

Flashcard 27: What is cultivation theory regarding long-term television exposure?

Answer: Heavy viewing shapes beliefs about reality to match TV's recurrent portrayals. Gerbner found heavy viewers overestimate violence and danger.

Flashcard 28: What is agenda-setting, and what aspect of public opinion does it influence?

Answer: Media influence what issues people think are important (salience). Media doesn't tell people what to think, but what to think about.

Flashcard 29: What is the two-step flow model of communication?

Answer: Media influence opinion leaders, who influence others. Recognizes indirect influence through interpersonal networks.

Flashcard 30: What is the agenda-setting function of mass media?

Answer: Shaping what issues people think are important by emphasizing certain topics. Media tells us what to think about, not what to think.

Flashcard 31: What is gatekeeping in mass media production and distribution?

Answer: Selecting, filtering, and shaping which information becomes news/content. Media outlets control what information reaches audiences.

Flashcard 32: What is cultural diffusion as driven by mass media?

Answer: Spread of cultural traits between societies via media contact. Media accelerates cross-cultural exchange of ideas and practices.

Flashcard 33: What is the self-serving bias in interpreting media feedback or outcomes?

Answer: Attributing successes internally and failures to external factors. Protects self-esteem by biasing causal explanations.

Flashcard 34: Identify the concept: After heavy crime-drama viewing, a person overestimates crime rates.

Answer: Cultivation theory. Media consumption shapes beliefs about real-world frequency.

Flashcard 35: What is the spiral of silence theory about expressing minority opinions publicly?

Answer: People with minority views self-censor to avoid social isolation. Fear of isolation silences dissent, making majority seem unanimous.

Flashcard 36: What is gatekeeping in mass media?

Answer: Filtering of information before it reaches the public. Editors and algorithms decide what content becomes visible.

Flashcard 37: Identify the concept: A headline labels a protest as a "riot," altering audience judgment.

Answer: Framing. Word choice influences perception of the same event.

Flashcard 38: What is cultural lag, and what causes it during rapid media-driven change?

Answer: Nonmaterial culture lags behind material/tech change. Values and beliefs change slower than technology advances.

Flashcard 39: What is framing in mass media?

Answer: Presenting information in a way that shapes interpretation. Context and emphasis influence how audiences understand events.

Flashcard 40: What is the hypodermic needle (magic bullet) model of media effects?

Answer: Media messages directly and uniformly influence passive audiences. Assumes audiences passively absorb media like injected drugs.

Flashcard 41: What is the uses and gratifications approach to media?

Answer: Audiences actively select media to satisfy needs and goals. Views audiences as active participants choosing media purposefully.

Flashcard 42: What is mass media in the context of sociological socialization?

Answer: Large-scale communication channels reaching broad audiences. Includes TV, radio, internet, newspapers that shape social values.

Flashcard 43: Identify the concept: A platform promotes posts that maximize engagement, shaping what users see.

Answer: Gatekeeping. Gatekeeping in digital platforms involves algorithms that prioritize content based on engagement metrics, thereby controlling visibility and shaping user experiences.

Flashcard 44: What is a total institution?

Answer: Setting controlling all aspects of life (e.g., prison, military boot camp). Isolates individuals from outside society for complete control.

Flashcard 45: What is mass media in the context of socialization and culture?

Answer: Communication technologies reaching large, dispersed audiences. Includes TV, radio, internet, and print media that shape cultural values.

Flashcard 46: What does cultivation theory predict after heavy long-term TV exposure?

Answer: Viewers perceive reality as similar to TV portrayals. Heavy viewers adopt TV's distorted worldview over time.

Flashcard 47: Identify the concept: a news outlet highlights crime stories, increasing fear of crime.

Answer: Cultivation theory. Repeated exposure to crime coverage shapes reality perception.

Flashcard 48: What is agenda-setting by mass media?

Answer: Media shapes what people think about by emphasizing certain issues. Directs public attention to specific topics over others.

Flashcard 49: What is a reference group in media and consumer behavior?

Answer: A group used for social comparison that shapes attitudes, identity, and behavior. Media portrays aspirational groups that influence consumer choices and self-concept.

Flashcard 50: What is the "looking-glass self" and who proposed it?

Answer: Self-concept from perceived others' judgments; Charles Horton Cooley. We see ourselves reflected in how we think others view us.

Flashcard 51: What is framing in mass media?

Answer: Presenting issues in ways that shape interpretation. Same event can be portrayed differently to influence public opinion.

Flashcard 52: What is framing in mass media?

Answer: Presenting information in a way that shapes interpretation. Same event can be presented as protest vs. riot, affecting perception.

Flashcard 53: What is socialization as studied in MCAT sociology?

Answer: Lifelong process of learning norms, values, roles, and behaviors. Occurs through family, peers, media, and institutions.

Flashcard 54: What is the hidden curriculum?

Answer: Implicit lessons about norms, hierarchy, and obedience in school. Teaches conformity, punctuality, and authority respect indirectly.

Flashcard 55: What is selective exposure in media use?

Answer: Tendency to seek information consistent with existing attitudes. People avoid cognitive dissonance by choosing confirming media.

Flashcard 56: What is the third-person effect regarding mass media influence?

Answer: Belief that media affects others more than it affects oneself. Underestimates personal susceptibility to media influence.

Flashcard 57: What is popular culture (pop culture) as used in sociological analysis?

Answer: Widely shared, mainstream cultural products, ideas, and practices. Elements of culture consumed and recognized by the general public.

Flashcard 58: What is a social norm in the context of media and culture?

Answer: Shared expectation for appropriate behavior in a given context. Rules that guide behavior based on group consensus.

Flashcard 59: What is a cultural value, and how does it differ from a norm?

Answer: Value: abstract ideal; norm: specific behavioral expectation. Values are principles; norms are concrete rules derived from values.

Flashcard 60: What is agenda-setting theory in mass media research?

Answer: Media influences which issues people view as important, not what to think. Media tells us what to think about, not what to think.

Flashcard 61: What is the digital divide?

Answer: Inequality in access to and effective use of digital technologies. Socioeconomic factors create technology access disparities.

Flashcard 62: What is the third-person effect regarding media influence on attitudes and behavior?

Answer: Belief that media affect others more than oneself. Psychological bias underestimating personal susceptibility to influence.

Flashcard 63: What is social learning theory (Bandura) as applied to mass media?

Answer: People learn behaviors by observing models and the consequences they receive. Viewers imitate behaviors they see modeled, especially when outcomes are positive.

Flashcard 64: What is the "me" in Mead's theory of the self?

Answer: Internalized social expectations and the socialized self. Represents society's influence on individual behavior.

Flashcard 65: Which term describes media acting as an agent of socialization?

Answer: Mass media socialization. Media transmits cultural values and social expectations to audiences.

Flashcard 66: What is role conflict, and how does it differ from role strain?

Answer: Incompatible expectations across roles; strain is within one role. Conflict arises between multiple roles; strain exists within one.

Flashcard 67: What is socialization, and what does it produce in individuals?

Answer: Internalization of norms and values that produces a social self. Process by which individuals learn society's expectations and develop identity.

Flashcard 68: What is popular culture?

Answer: Widely shared mainstream cultural products, ideas, and practices. Reflects dominant values consumed by broad segments of society.

Flashcard 69: What is a total institution?

Answer: Setting controlling most aspects of life under a single authority. Examples include prisons, military, psychiatric hospitals.

Flashcard 70: What is framing in media, and what does it change about audience interpretation?

Answer: Presentation style that shapes how an issue is understood and evaluated. Emphasizing certain aspects makes them more salient in judgments.

Flashcard 71: What is the sociological definition of mass media?

Answer: Communication technologies reaching large, dispersed audiences. Emphasizes technology's role in reaching many people simultaneously.

Flashcard 72: What is popular culture?

Answer: Mainstream cultural ideas and practices widely consumed in a society. Popular culture encompasses the cultural products and practices that are prevalent and accessible to the general public, reflecting and influencing societal trends and values.

Flashcard 73: Which concept is shown when a celebrity endorsement increases product appeal?

Answer: Halo effect. Positive traits transfer from admired person to associated product.

Flashcard 74: What is the mean world syndrome associated with cultivation theory?

Answer: Belief that the world is more dangerous than it actually is. Overexposure to TV violence creates exaggerated fear of crime.

Flashcard 75: What does the two-step flow model propose about how media influence occurs?

Answer: Media influence passes through opinion leaders to others via social networks. Influential individuals mediate media's impact on others.

Flashcard 76: What is the looking-glass self (Cooley)?

Answer: Self-concept shaped by perceived judgments of others. We imagine how others see us and adjust our self-image accordingly.

Flashcard 77: What is the "I" component in Mead's theory of the self?

Answer: Spontaneous, impulsive, individual aspect of the self. Mead's 'I' represents the creative, unpredictable response to social situations, emerging from innate impulses before social constraints are applied.

Flashcard 78: Identify the media effect: repeated exposure increases perceived normality of violence.

Answer: Cultivation theory. Heavy TV viewing makes violence seem more common than reality.

Flashcard 79: What is the mean world syndrome associated with cultivation theory?

Answer: Belief that the world is more dangerous due to heavy TV exposure. Overestimating violence/danger from TV crime shows.

Flashcard 80: Identify the concept: a viewer changes attitudes to match perceived group norms online.

Answer: Normative social influence. Conforming to fit in with perceived group standards.

Flashcard 81: What is popular culture (pop culture) as a sociological concept?

Answer: Widely shared, mainstream cultural products and practices in a society. Encompasses entertainment, trends, and customs consumed by the masses.

Flashcard 82: What is the uses and gratifications approach to media consumption?

Answer: Audiences actively choose media to satisfy needs (information, identity, entertainment). People are active consumers selecting media for specific purposes.

Flashcard 83: What is the hypodermic needle (magic bullet) model of media effects?

Answer: Media messages directly and uniformly affect passive audiences. Early theory assuming audiences are powerless against media messages.

Flashcard 84: What is the two-step flow model of communication?

Answer: Media influence flows through opinion leaders to others. The two-step flow model posits that media effects are mediated by influential individuals who interpret and relay information to their social networks.

Flashcard 85: What is the definition of a social script?

Answer: Culturally learned sequence of expected behaviors in a situation. Predetermined social patterns guide appropriate actions.

Flashcard 86: What is socialization in sociology?

Answer: Process of learning norms, values, roles, and behaviors of a culture. Acquiring cultural knowledge enables participation in society.

Flashcard 87: What is mass media in the context of socialization?

Answer: Large-scale communication reaching broad audiences (TV, radio, internet, print). Channels that transmit information to many people simultaneously.

Flashcard 88: What is resocialization?

Answer: Replacing old norms with new ones, often in total institutions. Breaks down old identity to build new one, like in military boot camp.

Flashcard 89: Which agent of socialization is most central in early childhood?

Answer: Family. The family provides the initial and most influential environment for learning basic social skills, emotional bonds, and cultural norms during formative years.

Flashcard 90: What is the spiral of silence theory?

Answer: People suppress minority opinions to avoid social isolation. Fear of isolation leads to self-censorship of unpopular views.

Flashcard 91: What is mass media in sociology?

Answer: Communication technologies reaching large audiences. Includes TV, radio, internet, and print media that disseminate information widely.

Flashcard 92: What is mass media in the context of socialization and diffusion of information?

Answer: Communication channels reaching large audiences (TV, radio, internet, print). Platforms that distribute content to vast, dispersed populations simultaneously.

Flashcard 93: What is resocialization?

Answer: Replacing old norms and roles with new ones, often in total institutions. Prisons and military boot camps exemplify this identity transformation.

Flashcard 94: What is socialization?

Answer: Lifelong process of learning norms, values, roles, and identities. Occurs through family, peers, media, and institutions throughout life.

Flashcard 95: What is a cultural script, and why is it relevant to media effects?

Answer: Learned sequence for how to behave in common situations. Media provides models for social interactions and expectations.

Flashcard 96: What is the agenda-setting function of mass media?

Answer: Media influence what issues people think are important by emphasizing coverage. Coverage frequency determines public perception of issue significance.

Flashcard 97: What is the "I" in Mead's theory of self?

Answer: Spontaneous, impulsive, subjective aspect of the self. Represents our unique, creative responses before social filtering.

Flashcard 98: What is the hypodermic needle (magic bullet) model of media?

Answer: Media messages directly and uniformly influence passive audiences. The hypodermic needle model assumes media messages are injected directly into audiences, leading to immediate and uniform behavioral responses without mediation.

Flashcard 99: What is the mean world syndrome in cultivation theory?

Answer: Belief that the world is more dangerous than it is. Results from overexposure to violent media content.

Flashcard 100: What is selective exposure in relation to media and attitudes?

Answer: Preference for media that aligns with existing beliefs and attitudes. Confirmation bias in media selection behavior.