Desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming Flashcards
Define the term desensitisation.
Repeated exposure to violence reduces normal levels of physiological and psychological arousal associated with anxiety, making aggressive behaviour more likely.
What does repeated exposure to violent media promote?
A belief that using violence as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable.
Negative attitudes towards violence weaken, less empathy felt for victims.
Explain the experiment for effects of desensitisation.
A laboratory study was conducted by Weisz and Earls.
They showed their participants the film Straw Dogs (which includes a graphic rape scene). Participants then watched a re-enactment of rape trial. Compared with those who watched a non-sexually violent film, male viewers of Straws Dogs showed greater acceptance of rape myths and sexual aggression. They also expressed less sympathy towards the rape victim in the trial and were less likely to find the defendant guilty. There was no such effect of film type on female participants.
Define the term disinhibition.
Normal social constraints against certain behaviours can be weakened by environmental triggers (exposure to violent media). These behaviours then appear temporarily socially acceptable and therefore more likely.
Using social learning theory explain how violent video games create new social norms for players.
Aggressive behaviour is often made to appear normative and socially sanctioned in such media.
Portrayal minimise effects of violence on its victims and suggest that its justified.
Shows violence being rewarded at the same time its consequences are minimised or ignored.
Creating new social norms in viewers.
Define the term cognitive priming.
When violent images provide us with ready-made scripts about aggression which are stored in memory and triggered when we perceive aggressive cues in a situation.
Explain the study that illustrates the priming.
Fischer and Greitemeyer looked at the priming of aggressive scripts in memory.
Male participants listened to songs featuring aggressively derogatory lyrics about women. Compared with when they listened to neural lyrics.
Participants were found to recall more negative qualities about women and behaved more aggressively towards a female confederate. This procedure was replicated with female participants, using ‘men-hating’ song lyrics with similar results.
What are the strengths of desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming?
Research support for desensitisation - Krahe et al.
Research support for disinhibition - Berkowitz and Alioto
Practical application of cognitive priming
What did Krahe et al do?
Showed participants violent film clips and measured their physiological arousal through skin conductance.
Participants that regularly viewed violent media showed lower levels of arousal and high levels of pleasure.
Increases credibility
State the alternative explanation for desensitisation.
Krahe et al failed to find a link between media viewing, lower arousal and provoked aggression. This suggests that desensitisation may not explain the impact of violent media exposure on all forms of aggressive behaviour. A more valid explanation is catharsis, the psychodynamic theory that viewing violent media acts a a safety valve mechanism, allowing people to release aggressive impulses without the need to behave violently.
What did Berkowitz and Alioto do?
Participants that watched a film that showed aggression as vengeance gave more fake shocks that lasted longer.
So, justification of aggression = socially acceptable and increase validity
State the practical application of cognitive priming.
Life-saving benefits - Bushman and Anderson claim that regular consumers of violent media are more likely to interpret aggressive cues and fail to consider alternatives.
So, effective interventions can reduce aggressive behaviour
Increase practical application
