aggression- media influences p3 Flashcards
what are media influences
changes in behaviour that are attributed to the exposure of tv and games.
methods that psychologists use to study effects of media on aggression
-experimental- short term effects
-correlational-studies that investigate real life variable:investigate short term or longitudinal.
-meta analysis-brings together all the above to look at overall size of effect of media on aggression.
lab experiment- Bartholow and Anderson 2002
student ps either play violent computer game (mortal kombat) or non violent computer game (golf) for ten mins, then complete Taylor competitive reaction time involving blasts of white noise at chosen volume to punish opponents.
ps who played violent game selected sig higher levels of noise (mean 5.97) compared to those who played non violent game (4.6)
evaluation of Bartholow and Anderson 2002.
- a limitation of lab exp to research gaming and aggression is that they lack mundane realism.
- bc ps are unlikely to have feared retaliation for aggressive behaviours from the researcher.
-findings from lab exp should be intermitted with care as they may not reflect real life situation of aggression. - strength is that it allows us to establish Causal link between media aggression and aggressive behaviours
- iv is deliberately manipulated
-lab exp into media aggression is high in internal validity
correlational study- delist et al 2013
227 juvenile offenders with histories of serious aggressive behaviours were interviewed on. aggression and violent computer game playing.
offenders aggressive behaviours were found to be significantly positively correlated with how often they played, and enjoyed violent computer games
this adds validity to idea that media influences cause aggression bc it suggestd that the inc in time played/enjoyed video games inc egg behaviours in offenders.
eval of correlational studies
- a limitati9on of delists research is that findings between gaming and aggression aren’t causal.
-investigates relationship but doesn’t allow us to establish cause and effect. variables aren’t manipulated
-this can’t conclude that playing aggressive games cause increase increasing the agg behaviour
meta analysis- Anderson et al 2010
-136 studies on computer media influences and aggression were reviewed.
-results found that exposure to violent computer games was associated with inc in aggressive behaviours, thoughts and feelings. this was true for males and females in both western (individualistic) and non western (collectivist) cultures.
-adds validity to ideas that media influences cause aggression bc it suggest that age behaviours are as result of exposure to violent games regardless of gender and culture.
eval of meta analysis
-there are issues with meta analysis research into the effects of computer games on aggression.
-this is bc there is a tendency in scientific research towards only publishing findings statistically significant bc non significant findings are incurable.
-this means any meta analysis findings should be viewed with thus bias in mind
longitudinal study Anderson 2007
surveyed 430 children 7-9 years old at two points during school years. children who had high exposure to violent games became more physically and verbally aggressive and less prosocial
this adds validity to the idea that media influences cause aggression because it suggests that high exposure to violent video games leads to an increase in physical and verbal aggression in children.
eval of longitudinal study
the violent content of video gamer may not be the cause of aggression
-studies suggest that age behaviour isn’t associated with the violent content in the video game as such but with the failure and fraustration expe4rienced when playing.
this suggests that violent media influences don’t necessarily cause aggressive behaviour.
three reasons why media aggression may influence aggressive behaviour.
desensitisation
disinhibition
cognitive priming
desensitisation
biological
normally, when we are exposed to violence our sympathetic nervous system activated, which inc heart rate and breathing rate. this inhibits the use of aggression
repeatedly viewing aggression may cause children to experience less arousal and physiological arousal. this is bc they become desensitised to violence and aggression and perceive it as normal. therefore as a consequence they are more likely yo engage in violence and aggression themselves.
disinhibition
social
most people are socialised into having the view that aggression is an antisocial harmful way. this prevents us from engaging in aggressive behaviour
watching or playing violent media may cahange standards of what is considered acceptable and normal behaviour.
of the viewed aggression is seen as a revenge response this is deemed to be normal and thus is justified.
cognitive priming
cognitive
viewing/playing aggressive media leads us to create a schema/cog script of how violent situations should play out. this is stored in memory and is automatically triggered when we encounter cues in situation that we perceive as aggressive. this schema/script means we become primed to act aggressively.
therefore violence in computer games has the effect on priming an individual to violence.
eval for desensitisation
- there is supporting evidence for the role of desensitisation as an explanation for how the media can increase acceptance of aggressive behaviours.
-eg, hare et al showed violent and non violent films. while measuring physiological arousal. they found that habitual viewers of violent media showed lower arousal and gave louder bursts of white noise to a confederate without being provoked.
-this suggests that lower arousak in violent media users reflect desensitisation to the effects of violence.
eval of disinhibition
-strength of disinhibition is research support
-for example berkowiz and Alioto found that participants who saw a film showing aggression as vengeance gave longer shocks to a confederate
-this suggests that aggression is more likely to occur if the viewed aggression is seen as an acceptable response and disinhibition is more likely to occur.
eval of disinhibition
-prasctical applications
- american army use games as a recruiting tool. recruiting individuals with sn interest in violence and aggression is benficial for future soldiers more beneficial for them to respond aggressively as the norm.
this suggests that media influences on aggression has real life benifits in the armed forces.
eval cog priming
-there id evidence supporting role of cog priming for how media can increase aggressive behaviour.
-fischer and grietemeyer found that males who had been exposed to agg song lyrics about women were more likely to give higher levels of hot chilli sauce to female confess than those heard neutral lyrics. more mysoginistic lyrics more aggression. replicated with women and resulted the same.
-this research demonstrates that cognitive priming that aggressive song lyrics can have on subsequent aggressive behaviours. inc validity
eval cog priming
- challenging evidence for cog priming as exp of aggressive behaviour.
-game realism is important factor in cog priming of aggressive thoughts and behaviour. higher levels of aggression result from viewing realistically depicted violence. the fictional violence in some computer games may not provide the same priming effect as in more realistic violent games. realistically depicted aggression may lead to Dif types of intensity and aggressive thoughts.
this reduces the validity of cog priming, influencing aggressive behaviours.
