desensitisation, disinhibition + cognitive priming

Question 1

desensitisation

Answer 1

• proposes that w/ continual exposure to a stimulus our responses to that stimulus are decreased
• if aggression is presented to us on a daily basis, there is a reduction in response to aggression
• as violence is featured in many computer games = may not respond to real aggression w/ any physiological arousal e.g. HR increase, adrenaline, fear etc..
  = individuals more likely to accept violence + aggression
  = more likely to respond violently + aggressively when given the opportunity to

Question 2

strength of desensitisation

Answer 2

• study to support the role of desensitisation
• showed 86 males + 106 females uni student 1 of 4 films depicting various types of aggression
• sexual aggression against a male
• sexual aggression against a female
• physical aggression
• no aggression
• after viewing the film, all subjects were asaked to complete a questonnaire
• parts then viewed a re-enacment of a rape trial
• then asked to complete a questionaire

= found that males are more accepting of interpersonal violence, rape myths, sexual aggression, less likely to judge the defendant as guilty
= especially those who watched the film about sexual agg against F+M
= supports desensitisation as an explanation
= how media can increase acceptance of aggressive behaviours

Question 3

weakness of desensitisation

Answer 3

• issue with research carried out = ecological validity
• research has been carried out in a lab setting
• measured levels of aggression on a questionnaire
• raises the issues of validity as to whether the measured violence would occur in a ‘real world’ setting
• norms governing aggressive behaviour in public may be far more likely to inhibit an aggressive response

Question 4

disnihibition

Answer 4

• proposes that our normal restrains are loosened after exposure to media violence
• aggressive behaviour is normalised + accepted
  = aggression is seen as normal response
• if aggression is seen as revenge then it’s accepted
• if aggression is rewarded = disinhibition is more powerful
  = in computer games
• Bandura proposed that social learning causes aggression to be learnt
  = through observing significant others
  e.g. superheroes provide aggressive role models in the name of jutsice
  e.g. adult films, e.g. James Bond kids look up + imitate

Question 5

strength of disinhibition (vengeance)

Answer 5

• study, laboratory experiment
• where parts saw a film depicting aggression as vengeance
  = gave more electric shocks of a longer duration to confederate
• propose that aggression is more likely to occur if the viewed
  = aggression is seen as acceptable
  = disinhibition more likely to occur

Question 6

cognitive priming

Answer 6

• proposes that media in computer games provide individuals with ‘scripts’ for their responses + behaviour when they perceive a stimulus as aggressive
• the priming effect can activate memories + make aggression more likely
• a child may play a computer game where aggression is rewarded
  = think that the way to ‘win’ is by acting aggressive = select script

Question 7

strength of cognitive priming

Answer 7

• real world applications
• whether real world situations become violent depends on the cognitive scripts they have stored in memory
• two psychs argue that someone who habitually watches violent media accesses scripts more readily
  = act aggressive + violent solution as they’ve been primed
  = suggests that interventions could potentially reduce aggressive behaviour by challenging hostile cognitive biases

Question 8

weakness of cognitive priming

Answer 8

• there are confounding variables in research
• e.g research into the effects of video games has found that violent games primes violent behaviour more than non-violent games do
• problem is violent games = much more complex than non-violent
• complexity is confounding variable
• complexity = priming effect, not the violence
• psych found that when complexity was controlled, priming effects of violent games disappeared
  = suggests that findings supporting cognitive priming + aggression partly due to confounding variables
  = affects validity of research

Question 9

strength of disinhibition (soldier)

Answer 9

• practical application of our understanding of the processes of disinhibition
• helped the American Army recruit soldiers
• soldiers in a war situation are likely to behave in an aggressive + violent way
  = more beneficial for them to respond aggressively as the NORM
  = disinhibition is not always a negative thing