Media Psychology

People think according to ‘network models of memory.’ Essentially, when people see something that connects with other things they have seen before in their life, they connect it to the same idea process. This path system for thinking is why it is easy for viewers to make assumptions (good and bad) about places or groups of people they are seeing in entertainment.

Emotions are powerful tools in entertainment. Although psychologists have not had consensus on one, perfect definition to go by for each of our emotions, they generally all agree that emotions play a powerful role in how we experience and react to our environment.

In relation to entertainment, emotions serve to influence what viewers get out of their media experience. Whether it be positive, negative, fear or laughter inducing, emotions can drive viewers’ entertainment experience and media outcomes that go beyond the time of media exposure.

Theories in both media effects and psychology research note how we are constantly learning information about behaviors from our environment, both directly and vicariously. This information we absorb ultimately shapes how we act throughout our lives.

However, even though behavior can also be heavily influenced by the media we consume, there is not necessarily a direct, cause-and-effect relationship between what we see and what we do. Humans are more complex than that. Rather, media stimuli can give us ideas on how to behave, but at the end of the day, we are our own free agents who make decisions based on a plethora of experiences.