Gender stereotypes, specifically on teen television shows can have a huge influential effect on the attitudes and behaviors of adolescents. A study conducted by Laramie Taylor and Tiffany Setters (2011) examined the history of these stereotypical gender representations to determine how they have developed over time, and how they have reflected and reinforced the gender norms and roles at those times. Recent studies by (Jensen, Bernat, Wilson & Goonewardene 2011; Taylor & Setters 2011), found that television messages can be used to create meaning as well as shape attitudes and behaviors. The results of their research showed that the more a person is exposed to media that he or she derives meaning from, the more likely the media will have an effect on the person’s views and or behaviors
There have been many studies that indicate television’s effect upon adolescents’ views, but these studies do not focus on teen programming. For example, researchers Ward and Friedman (2006) found that more frequent viewing of talk shows and ‘sexy’ prime-time programs, and viewing TV programs more intently for companionship, was associated with higher endorsement of sexual stereotypes.
Bandura (1977) understood the power of mass media and theorized that people may model the behavior that they witness through media. He believed that visual media can be very influential through the process of modeling, just as it is in real life. Just as a real life role model would affect a person’s attitudes and behaviors, the presentation of a television character can produce the same effect.
Addis, Mansfield, and Sydek (2010) examined the effects of gendered social learning in men by measuring masculinity in research as well as the socializing agents present in the lives of boys. They argued that social learning is flexible and context-dependent, and that boys learn how to behave in specific settings to gain certain outcomes (Addis, Mansfield and Sydek 2010).