The relationship between exposure to televised messages about paranormal phenomena and paranormal beliefs

Diversity of Television Exposure and its Association with the Cultivation of Concern for Environmental Risks

“…While cultivation theory has been used to investigate a diverse range of topics, from perceptions of violence (Gerbner & Gross, 1976;Goidel, Freeman, & Procopio, 2006), to perceptions of romance (Eggermont, 2004;Segrin & Nabi, 2002), to perceptions of the paranormal (Sparks & Miller, 2001;Sparks, Nelson, & Campbell, 1997), studies that focus on the cultivation of environmental perceptions are relatively few.…”

Social Influence on Paranormal Beliefs

“…That the popular media are overwhelmingly supportive of paranormal claims facilitates their dissemination and hinders critical evaluation (Klare 1990;Nollinger 1994;Sparks 1998;Sparks and Pellechia 1997;Sparks, Nelson, and Campbell 1997;Sparks, Sparks, and Gray 1995). Although we do not track this process in its entirety, a crucial point must be the moment at which one is confronted with an ostensibly paranormal claim or circumstance and has the opportunity and motivation to evaluate it.…”

The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science

“…The research base has shown that movies do have an impact on citizens' conceptions of science by either encouraging excitement, instilling fear about science and technology, or by leading to the development of stereotypes of science and scientists (Cavanaugh and Cavanaugh, 1996;Long and Steinke, 1996). Movies also have an impact by increasing the public's belief in paranormal phenomena (Sparks, 1998;Sparks et al, 1997), and by propagating a masculine view of science (Steinke, 1999). These findings are not particularly new, as nearly 20 years ago, Gerbner (1987) conducted an extensive analysis of television shows and found that 7 out of every 10 programs on television between 1973 and 1983 contained images of science and technology.…”