desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming

Question 1

what is desensitisation

Answer 1

a stimulus that is usually aversive anxiety and arousal becomes lower on repeated viewing or playing of aggression

Question 2

what is disinhibition

Answer 2

when the social cues that wold stop a person form committing aggressive acts are loosened after exposure to violent media so a social norm for aggression is created

Question 3

what is cognitive priming

Answer 3

when viewing of aggressive media provides a person with a script of how violent situations may play out so the are more likely to spot the cues and turn the situation violent

Question 4

study for role of desensitisation explanation

Answer 4

• Weisz and Earls (1995)
• showed male participants stray dog which depicted a rape scene
  male participant were more likely to believe rape victim stereotypes and were less likely to find the defendant guilty

Question 5

study for role of cognitive priming explanation

Answer 5

• Fitcher and Greitemeyer (2006)
• investigated song lyrics
• males who listened to aggressive and derogatory lyrics about women were able to recall more negative qualities about women and behaved more aggressive towards the women confederate
• same thing could be said for women who listened to aggressive songs about males

Question 6

evaluation for cognitive priming

Answer 6

1. real life application (strength)
   - real would situation get violent depending on hoe environmental cues are interpreted
   - this depends on their cognitive scripts stored in their memory
2. confounding variable (limitation)
   - study shows that violent games produce more more violent behaviour that none violent games do
   - however violent games have more complex game play which may act as a confounding variable

Question 7

evaluation for desensitisation

Answer 7

1. research support (strength)
   - berkowilz and alioto (1973)
   - found that participants who were showed a film depicting aggression gave more and longer electric shocks
2. cartoon violence (strength)
   - children learn that violence is acceptable (socially normative)
   - especially true if the cartoon character does not face any consequence or is not punished for their aggressive behaviour

Question 8

evaluation for desensitisation

Answer 8

1. research support (strength)
   - krahe er al (2011)
   - showed participants violent films whilst measuring physiological arousal using skin conductance
   - habitual viewers of violence showed lower levels of arousal and gave higher levels of white noise to opponents
2. alternate explanation (limitation)
   - study finds link between media viewing, lower arousal and provoked reactions
   - catharsis may be a more valid explanation