George Gerbner
"Gerbner established the Cultural Indicators Research Project in 1968 to document trends in television content and how these changes affect viewers' perceptions of the world. He coined the phrase "mean world syndrome" to describe the fact that people who watch large amounts of television are more likely to perceive the world as a dangerous and frightening place." (Wikipedia)
Larry Gross
"From 1971 to 1991, Gross co-directed the Cultural Indicators Project with George Gerbner, which focused on television content and its influence on viewer attitudes and behavior, introducing the theory of cultivation.
Gross has written and edited books covering a wide variety of issues in visual and cultural communication. He is the author of "Contested Closets: The Politics and Ethics of Outing" (University of Minnesota Press) and "Up From Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America" (Columbia University Press)." "http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/
Michael Morgan
"My research focuses on media effects in general and cultivation analysis in particular, in terms of the contribution of television to audience conceptions of social reality. Based primarily on the analysis of large-scale survey data, specific areas examined include violence, sex-roles, aging, health, science, the family, the environment, political orientations, and other issues. I have extended this research to a variety of international and intercultural contexts, most extensively in Argentina. These various strands are connected by a concern about the implications of media for cultural diversity, identity, and democratic principles and practices. I am also interested in new (and "old") media technology and social policy, and the role of media in the family."
Nancy Signorielli
"My area of focus continues to be the mass media and I believe its study must focus on finding the answers to three basic questions. First, what are the institutions that produce media images, how do they operate, and what kinds of constraints do they face? Second, what kinds of images are reflected in media content? And third, how do these images impact upon people? The second and third of these questions are very much interconnected; one cannot answer the third question without first answering the second."
James Shanahan
"Professor Shanahan is a mass media effects researcher. His research interests focus on cultural indicators, cultivation theory, media effects and public opinion. Special areas of focus are communication in relation to science and the environment. He has co-authored several books, including Television and its Viewers (with Michael Morgan, 1999), Nature Stories(with Katherine McComas, 1999) and Democracy Tango (with Michael Morgan, 1995)."
