Discuss the Behavioural theories of mass communication.

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i. Structural and functional theories
Theories that propagate that social structure are real and function in ways that can be observed objectively.

ii. Cognitive and behavioural theories
They focus on psychology of individuals; theories such as modeling behaviour theory. Behaviors which are modeled from media experiences can become habitual if found useful and/or if they are reinforced in the environment. This is not about violent or criminal behaviour.

iii. Interaction theories
Theories that view social life as a process of interaction; - selective exposure i.e., people's tendency to expose themselves to those mass communications which are in agreement with their attitudes and interests; and - selective perception and retention i.e., people's inclination to organize the meaning of mass communication messages into accord with their already existing views.

iv. Interpretive theories
Uncover the ways people actually understand their own experience.

v. Critical theories
Are concerned with the conflict of interests in society and the way communication perpetuates domination of one group over another.

vii. Gratification Theory
This theory propounded by Katz in 1970, is concerned with how people use media for gratification of their needs. An outcome of Abraham Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs, it propounds the fact that people choose what they want to see or read and the different media compete to satisfy each individual?s needs.
In the hierarchy of needs, there are five levels in the form of a pyramid with the basic needs such as food and clothing at the base and the higher order needs climbing up the pyramid. The fulfillment of each lower level need leads to the individual looking to satisfy the next level of need and so on till he reaches the superior-most need of self- actualization.

marto answered the question on October 3, 2019 at 06:39

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Discuss the Behavioural theories of mass communication.

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