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the hand of policy makers” (1998, xiii). But he warned that the ability of photos to trigger emotional
reactions hurts rational political decision-making. Thus, the portrayals, accompanying symbols, and
expressed values of visual imagery are vital to understand.
Although most media research examines how media influence individuals, Gunther also found
that people appear to estimate the opinions of others by scanning media (1998). In other words, they infer
public opinion based on media content, and assume media content affects others. This is one means of
media affecting policy makers.
In addition to visuals’ potential for short-term impact on public policy, there is evidence of
longer-lasting effects in society. “Metonymy -- one thing symbolizing a greater condition – is the most
intriguing aspect of visual imagery” (Perlmutter, 1999b, p. 8). He uses the example of one image
exemplifying an entire war to illustrate the concept. Extending this further, Perlmutter (1999b) also
speculates on the role of visual images in the maintenance of collective memory.
Schemata and Media Stereotypes
Probably the most well-studied area in visual communication relevant to this study is work on
stereotypes and schemata. Images serve as schemata for viewers processing news and entertainment
content about people in other countries. Schemata are summary representations in our cognitive
processing that help us process, order, and retrieve information (Harris, 1994; Taylor & Crocker, 1981).
Most visual communication research relative to Latinos has concentrated on media stereotypes, although
not specifically of Mexicans.
Media stereotypes can affect individuals’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior (Hoffner & Cantor,
1991; Seiter, 1986), influence public policy, and reflect policy (Bailey, 1989; Coatsworth & Rico Ferrat,
1989; Contee, 1989; Taylor, 1994). Most problematic is that individuals may rely on mass media for
impressions of others with whom they do not have interpersonal contact (Greenberg & Baptista-
Fernández, 1980; Subervi-Vélez, 1994; Wilson & Gutiérrez, 1995). This is the issue of concern involving
Mexico -- U.S. citizens without firsthand knowledge of Mexico or Mexicans can make social judgments
or influence public policy based on second-hand media images (Cottam, 1994).
Convention