3 - Media Influence On Aggression (TV/Film + Computer Games) Flashcards
Define media
Communication channels, e.g. TV, film, computer games
What are the 2 ways that TV/film can influence aggression?
- Excessive amount watched -> More aggressive behaviour
- Violent content watched -> More aggressive behaviour
How does the amount of TV/film watched influence aggression?
Higher amount watched -> Higher aggression levels
How does the content of TV/film watched influence aggression?
More violent content watched -> More aggressive behaviour
Explain how the amount of TV/film watched influences aggressive behaviour
Indirect link
More watched -> reduced socialising + poor educational achievement -> more aggression
What research supports the role of the amount of TV/film watched on aggressive behaviour?
Robertson et al
- Longitudinal study
- Studied 1037 ppts from NZ
- Measured amount of TV/film watched at regular intervals up to age 26
- Found: greater amount watched led to more aggressive behaviour (measured by convicted crimes) + more diagnosis of ASPD
- Concluded that amount watched was more influential than content
Explain how the content of TV/film watched influences aggressive behaviour
Direct link
Aggressive characters act as aggressive models, imitated through SLT
What research supports the role of the content of TV/film watched on aggressive behaviour?
Bandura et al
- Replicated Bobo Doll study
- Child ppts watched on-screen interaction with Bobo Doll
- Findings were similar: aggressive condition imitated aggressive behaviour in media
How much variance in aggression did Paik + Comstock estimate through meta-analysis that TV/film accounted for?
1-10% variance
Which type of media is thought to have the greatest impact on aggression levels?
Computer games
Why does TV/film have a lesser impact on aggression levels?
People take a passive role in watching
How do computer games affect aggressive behaviour?
Playing a lot on aggressive/violent computer games leads to more aggressive behaviour
Why do computer games have a greater influence on aggressive behaviour than TV/film?
- People take an active role
- Game playing is directly rewarding, so aggressive behaviour is reinforced via operant conditioning
What two pieces of research support the role of computer games in aggression?
Bartholow + Anderson
- Lab study
- 2 groups played for 10 mins
(Group 1: Mortal Kombat - aggressive game)
(Group 2: PGA Tournament Golf - non-aggressive game)
- Both groups did Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task
- Group 1 (aggressive condition) selected a louder noise (5.97dB compared to Group 2’s 4.6dB)
DeLisi et al
- Correlational study
- Structured interview of 227 juvenile offenders
- Asked about aggression + violent video games played
- Found: positive correlation between amount of time spent playing violent video games + aggression levels
What is the Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task?
- Lab measure of aggression
- Blasts of white noise given at chosen volumes to punish an ‘opponent’
- The louder the volume selected, the higher aggression
Give 4 evaluation points for the effects of the media (TV, film, computer games) on aggression
POS:
Conclusions supported by previously accepted theories
- Conclusions supported by Bandura’s SLT
- Widely accepted that SLT can enable children to ‘learn’ aggressive behaviour via in-person imitation
- Has face validity that aggressive media models can be similarly imitated
- So, validity of conclusions boosted by link to previous theories
NEG:
No universally accepted way of defining/measuring aggression
- Aggression is defined + measured differently by different research
- E.g. Robertson et al - used criminal convictions + Bartholow + Anderson - used Taylor Competitive Reaction Times Test
- Studies hard to compare, so its hard to make uniform conclusions about the ambiguous term ‘aggression’
Methodological issues with supporting research
- E.g. Robertson et al - long term study, greater potential for CVs (e.g. change of role models) which may also influence aggression
- E.g. Bartholow + Anderson - games different in more ways than violence level, so hard to establish cause and effect
- So, issues with methodology lowers findings’ validity
Not all research says media causes aggression
- Some supporting research is correlation
- E.g. DeLisi - correlation between offenders + time playing games
- Relationship’s direction may be inverse (juvenile offenders may have a greater preference for violent computer games)
- So, may be invalid to suggest media causes aggression if not all research establishes this causal relationship
