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4. MEDIA CONSUMPTION AND PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL REALITY 77

studies have made this same connection between accessibility as a func-
tion of viewing and judgments (cf. Ogles & Hoffner, 1987; Tamborini, Zill-
mann, & Bryant, 1984).
The applications of concepts such as accessibility and the use of heuris-
tics is not confined only to studies of crime and violence. Zillmann and
Bryant (1982; for a review, see chapter 12) found that participants who
viewed portrayals of explicit sex scenes gave higher estimates of the
prevalence of unusual sex practices among the general population, were
less likely to object to public display of pornography, and recommended
shorter jail sentences for a convicted rapist than did participants who
viewed films that were not sexually explicit.

Effects of Media Portrayals on Aggression. Although the research
just reviewed has focused predominantly on cognitive measures as
dependent variables, the concept of accessibility has also been useful in
explaining the effects of exposure to media violence on behavior.
Berkowitz’s cognitive-neoassociationistic perspective (1984; see also chapter
5) on the effects of violent media consumption posits that frequent view-
ing of violent media portrayals primes particular constructs (e.g., aggres-
sion, hostility) and thus makes these constructs more likely to be used in
behavioral decisions (i.e., actions) as well as judgments about others. Note
that this notion is very similar to the original trait priming studies of Hig-
gins and colleagues and Wyer and Srull that were discussed earlier: A par-
ticular trait concept is made accessible and thus is used disproportion-
ately as a basis for subsequent judgments.
The relation between the activation of a construct such as aggression
through media portrayals and the accessibility of aggression-related con-
structs has been demonstrated in several studies. For example, Bushman
and Geen (1990) showed that viewing violent films elicited more aggressive
thoughts than viewing nonviolent films. Berkowitz, Parker, and West (cited
in Berkowitz, 1973) produced similar findings, showing that children who
read a war comic book were more likely to select words with aggressive
meanings than children who read a neutral comic book. Other studies
have made the connection between activation (and presumed enhanced
accessibility) of aggression constructs and subsequent judgments. Carver,
Ganellen, Froming, and Chambers (1983) found that people who viewed a
brief film portraying a hostile interaction between a business executive and
his secretary perceived more hostility in an ambiguous target person than
did people who viewed a nonhostile portrayal, and Berkowitz (1970)
showed that similar effects of aggressive portrayals on judgments can be
observed even when the aggressive behavior is in the form of comedy.
It is also worth noting that what is primed does not necessarily have to
be directly related to an eminent judgment, but may only have to share