Audience Theories: Effects Theory and Cultural Studies approach

- Define effects theory:

The effects theory has arisen from psychologists attempting to explore an existing belief that media violence, e.g. television shows, films and computer games, would influence the audience to be violent, having a direct behavioural effect on the passive audience. This could be why pregnant women often play calming, sophisticated classical music to their womb whilst pregnant, believing this will create a smart and polite child.

This has been labelled the 'Hypodermic Needle Theory'. The 'Bobo Doll' experiment is the most famous example of this theory.


The legitimacy of this research can be questioned and maybe should not be taken as the absolute truth.
In recent times, violent lyrics and computer games have been blamed constantly for the rise in crime and bad youth behaviour. The main questions asked by the researchers are whether music has an effect on the listeners and whether or not that is a negative effect.
However, this research was only carried out using aggressive music and was never carried out with genre's such as classical. This does raise many questions and is evidence of a bias study.

- Define Cultural Studies approach:

The cultural studies approach takes the 'effects theory' into account but also encourages researchers to understand the active nature of certain audiences. The tests were to try and understand particular aims and objectives of media texts but to also see media audiences as active and responsive, adopting different standpoints in relation to the values expressed.

These are:

• Preferred Reading - Audience take in the messages from the media text and accept them as correct and natural.
• Negotiated Reading - Audience see the values to be legitimate and accept them, but will adapt the their reading to work with their experiences etc.
• Oppositional Reading - Audience understand values but reject and disagree with them.

Preferred Reading: Target audience would be in favour of people robbing a bank and handing out money to the public to rebel against society and would view it as the right thing to do.


Oppositional Reading: Some people would see this as very 'thuggish' and a ridiculous way of showing your lack of support for the government.


Negotiated Reading: People may not be willing to participate in such an act if it ever occurred, but can see the reason behind it and has no strong feelings towards the act/video.