Two Decades of Cultivation Research: An Appraisal and a Meta-Analysis
Morgan and Shanahan give a theoretical review and meta-analysis of cultivation research. They examine its roots in the work of George Gerbner and colleagues, review progress since the nineteen seventies and the critiques made over the years, and offer their own responses. A meta-analysis of two decades of findings shows a small average cultivation effect. Much, but not all, of the variation in findings can be attributed to sampling error alone.
Morgan and Shanahan give a theoretical review and meta-analysis of cultivation research. They examine its roots in the work of George Gerbner and colleagues, review progress since the nineteen seventies and the critiques made over the years, and offer their own responses. A meta-analysis of two decades of findings shows a small average cultivation effect. Much, but not all, of the variation in findings can be attributed to sampling error alone.
Written from the abstract as shown on the OpenAlex record, read 2026-11-04.
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In B. Burleson (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 20, 1-45.