ABSTRACT
Media messages have a notable influence on the lives of children, adolescents, and adults, potentially contributing to a series of negative individual health and social outcomes. The interdisciplinary nature of media literacy has led to the application of diverse theoretical perspectives to this area, which has provided strengths and has also presented challenges. Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory originally conceptualized as social learning theory, holds that people can learn vicariously and potentially emulate the behavior that they see others engage in and that seems rewarding. Human ecology theory provides a framework for acknowledging that the biological, social, and physical aspects of an individual are considered to operate within the context of their environments, consistent with social cognitive theory. Critical thinking for message sources and content affect the message interpretation process (MIP), thereby making the message interpretation process model a useful framework for evaluating the results of media literacy education.
