4 - Media Influences On Aggression (General Aggression Model)

Question 1

Who proposed the General Aggression Model?

Answer 1

DeWall + Anderson

Question 2

What is the General Aggression Model?

Answer 2

A model suggesting that 3 factors account for HOW the media influences aggression

Question 3

What are the 3 factors in the General Aggression Model?

Answer 3

1) Desensitisation
2) Disinhibition
3) Cognitive priming

Question 4

Define desensitisation

Answer 4

Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus (less physical + psychological arousal by a stimulus)

Question 5

How does an aggressive stimulus usually impact humans?

Answer 5

• Psychological arousal (feelings of anxiety)

- Physiological arousal (SNS activated - e.g. increased heart rate)

Question 6

How does desensitisation by the media influence aggression?

Answer 6

Seeing aversive violent stimuli in the media habituates us to aggressive/violent behaviour, so we are less aroused + feel more able to behave aggressively ourselves

Question 7

Define habituation

Answer 7

Regular exposure to an aversive stimulus meaning we become used to its effects

(Part of desensitisation)

Question 8

In what way does desensitisation change our arousal by aggression?

Answer 8

• Psychologically desensitised (feel less anxiety)

- Physically desensitised (SNS less activated)

Question 9

How do attitudes towards the victims of aggression change as we are desensitised by the media?

Answer 9

• Negative attitudes towards aggression/violence weaken

- Feel less empathy for the victims, dismissing their injuries

Question 10

What research supports the role of desensitisation by the media in aggression?

Answer 10

Weisz + Earls

• Lab study
• Male ppts (repeated by females - didn’t get desensitised)
• Group 1 watched Straw Dogs (aggressive rape scene), Group 2 watched non-violent film
• Both groups shown rape trial re-enactment
• Group 1 more accepting of aggression: less likely to find rapist guilty + showed less empathy for victim (desensitised)

Question 11

Why did females not show the same desensitisation when the Weisz + Earls study was repeated using female ppts?

Answer 11

Females identified by the victim being raped in Straw Dogs (the aggressive media - so felt the same empathy)

Question 12

Give 1 positive + 1 negative evaluation point for the role of desensitisation by the media in aggression

Answer 12

POS:
Research support for provoked aggression
- Krahe et al
- Habitual viewers of violent media gave louder bursts of white noise to other ppts when unprovoked (desensitised to aggression)
- BUT - didn’t find this link for provoked aggression

NEG:
Alternative theory of catharsis
- Watching aggressive media may be cathartic (an outlet for aggression without actually behaving aggressively)
- This refutes the idea that watching lots of aggressive media increases the likelihood we will behave aggressively because we have been desensitised
- Suggests desensitisation is an incorrect theory

Question 13

Define disinhibition

Answer 13

Lack of restraint

Question 14

Do we normally have inhibitions towards aggression? Why?

Answer 14

Yes

• Normally have restraints/inhibitions towards behaving aggressively
• SLT means individuals learn that aggression is harmful + unacceptable (against social norms)

Question 15

How does disinhibition by the media influence aggression?

Answer 15

Media loosens inhibitions towards aggression by regularly presenting aggressive behaviour as justified and socially acceptable, changing the social norm so individuals feel they can behave aggressively

Question 16

Give an example of TV/film removing inhibitions towards aggression by presenting it as justified + socially acceptable

Answer 16

Aggressive behaviour in film/TV is presented as an acceptable way to get revenge on a ‘’bad guy”

Question 17

Give an example of computer games removing inhibitions towards aggression by presenting it as justified + socially acceptable

Answer 17

Computer games reward violence (e.g. in war games), presenting aggression as a justified, acceptable way to behave

Question 18

Give 2 evaluation points for disinhibition in the media’s role in aggression

Answer 18

POS:
Research support by Berkowitz + Alioto
- Lab study
- Ppts watched a film presenting aggression as vengeance
- Ppts were more likely to give longer (fake) electric shocks to a confederate than a control group
- Their inhibitions towards aggression had been removed as the film presented this behaviour as justified, changing the social norm

Cartoon violence

• Disinhibition can explain the impact of cartoon violence on aggression
• Children’s inhibitions towards aggression can be loosened by cartoon violence
• Cartoons don’t teach children specific behaviours (e.g. to punch someone in the head so it spins 360) so SLT cannot explain it
• Cartoons DO show children that aggression is justified + socially normative, loosening their inhibitions towards general aggressive behaviour

Question 19

Define cognitive priming

Answer 19

Ways of thinking/behaving are based on scripts (schemas) that prime (prepare) us to respond to certain cues in a specific way

Question 20

What is a ‘script’ in terms of aggression?

Answer 20

A schema of how aggressive/violent situations play out + how we should behave when in an aggressive/violent situation

• Stored in memory
• Automatically triggered when we encounter a violent situation

Question 21

Define ‘prime’

Answer 21

Prepare

Question 22

How does cognitive priming by the media influence aggression?

Answer 22

Aggressive media gives us a ‘script’ of how violent situations play out, which is stored in memory + triggered in a violent situation, so we behave in a primed aggressive way

Question 23

Give 1 positive + 1 negative evaluation point for cognitive priming

Answer 23

POS:
Research support from Fischer + Greitemeyer
- Lab study of males (replicated with females - same findings)
- Group 1: listened to aggressive, sexist songs about women
- Group 2: listened to neutral songs (control)
- Both groups asked opinions on women + had behaviour towards a female confederate observed
- Group 1 had more negative opinions + behaviour towards women
- So, Group 1 had been cognitively primed by the media to be aggressive

NEG:
CVs reduce validity of supporting research
- E.g. Research on video games
- Violent games found to have greater priming effects for aggression
- Complexity is a confounding variable (violent games often more complex)
- Complexity may actually be the cause of more priming
- Zendle et al found no priming when complexity was controlled
- So, cognitive priming theory may be less valid than originally thought