Discuss one or more explanations of media influence on anti social behaviour. (4+6)

Question 1

Explanations of media on ASB

Answer 1

SLT, Desensitisation

Question 2

Social Learning Theory

Answer 2

Attention, Retention, Motivation

Question 3

Bandura

Answer 3

aggression is learned by direct experience - operate conditioning (reinforces actions), aggression is learned by observing other people behaving aggressively and imitates that behaviour

Question 4

Comstock and Paik

Answer 4

meta-analysis of more than 1000 findings on the effects of media violence, showed generally strong short term effects and rather weaker long term effects. Identified factors which increased the effects of media violence: person behaving violently is portrayed as similar to the viewer, if violent behaviour is presented as an efficient way to get what you want

Question 5

Phillips

Answer 5

found an increased rate of murder of young African-American males following highly publicised heavyweight boxing fights in which the black fighter was the loser. He also hound increased murder rates of young white males in which the white boxer was defeated.

Question 6

Bandura

Answer 6

all of the children were able to copy Rocky’s aggressive actions towards a Bobo doll when given an incentive. because they watched Rocky on TV, the study suggests that children can learn from violence shown in the media - children in the condition where Rocky was punished were less likely to spontaneously imitate than children in the no consequence condition

Question 7

Practical application of SLT

Answer 7

Media influences on ASB - limiting the amount of exposure to violent models through tougher film censorship and TV watershed

Question 8

Approach of SLT

Answer 8

Entirely psychological, it takes no account of the physiological effects of watching media violence on the brain - therefore complementing SLT’s explanation with desensitisation gives a fuller picture than SLT alone

Question 9

Desensitisation

Answer 9

a reduction in distress-related physiological reactivity to observations or thoughts of violence - if we have seen enough people suffering from the consequences of violence e.g. on films and TV, this empathetic response becomes dulled. We feel less inhibited and so are more likely to behave aggressively

Question 10

Grafman

Answer 10

22 boys aged 14-17 asked to watch a series of 60 4second video clips, arranged randomly into three lots of 20 clips - the degree of violence and aggression in each scene was low, mild or moderate. As the boys were exposed to more violent videos over time, their activation in brain regions concerned with emotional reactivity decreased and that was reflected in the data from the fMRI and the skin conductance responses

Question 11

Griffiths

Answer 11

such studies could not prove a causal link between watching violent images and committing real-life violence