Desensitisation, Disinhibition And Cognitive Priming

Question 1

What is desensitisation

Answer 1

• repeated exposure to violence decreases sensitivity to a stimulus and reduces normal levels of physiological (eg. Lowered heart rate) and psychological (eg. Less emotional response) arousal associated with anxiety making a behaviour such as aggression more likely
• this causes individuals to be less empathic towards victims and increasingly accept aggression as the ‘social norms’

Question 2

What is disinhibition

Answer 2

• a lack of restraint (may be due to environmental triggers or overexposure to a stimulus), resulting in socially unacceptable behaviours becoming acceptable and therefore more likely
• exposure to violent media validates the use of violence in real like because it undermines the social sanctions that usually inhibit such behaviour

Question 3

What is cognitive priming

Answer 3

• the way a person thinks is triggered by cues or ‘scripts’ which make us ready (primed) to respond in specific ways
• aggressive media (eg. Guns) act as cues for a schema of an aggressive behaviour and exposure to these cues in a similar context can trigger the memory leading to reproduction of the aggressive behaviour

Question 4

Explain how research by Weisz and Earls (1995) shows support to desensitisation

Answer 4

After viewing a film depicting various types of aggression and viewing a re-enactment of a rape trial, males were more accepting of interpersonal violence and rape myths, more attracted to sexual aggression, less sympathetic toward the rape trial victim, and less likely to judge the defendant as guilty of rape, which supports desensitisation as an explanation for how the media can increase acceptance of aggressive behaviours

Question 5

Explain how research by Berkowitz and Alioto (1973) shows support for disinhibition

Answer 5

Participants who saw a film depicting aggression as vengeance gave more fake electrics shocks of longer duration to a confederate, which suggests media violence may disinhibit aggressive behaviour when presented as justified

Question 6

Explain how research by Fischer and Greitemeyer (2006) shows support for cognitive priming

Answer 6

After listening to various songs, male participants who listened to misogynous music administered more hot chili sauce to women that to men whilst female participants who listened to men-hating music assigned longer times of ice water treatment to a male target person than did women who listened to neutral and misogynous music, which demonstrates the cognitive priming that aggressive song lyrics can have on subsequent aggressive behaviour