Explanations of media influences Flashcards
What are the 3 explanations of media influences on aggression?
Desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming
What is desensitisation?
The absence of anxiety in violent situations
How may media violence lead to desensitisation?
Repeated exposure to aggression may remove the anxiety associated with it
What happens to physiological arousal when a person is desensitised?
It decreases
Give 2 examples of physiological responses?
Heart rate and skin conductance
What are the 2 AO3 points for the desensitisation explanation of media influences?
1) Research support
2) Desensitisation can be advantageous
Who provided research support for the desensitisation explanation of media influences?
Carnagey
What were Carnagey’s participants required to do?
Play a violent or non-violent video game for 20 minutes and then watch a 10 minute video of real life violence
What was monitored in Carnagey’s study?
The participants heart rate and skin conductance
What did Carnagey find?
Those who had played the violent video game had lower heart rates and lower skin conductance when viewing the real life violence, compared to those who played the non-violent game
Who is desensitisation beneficial for?
Soldiers
Why is desensitisation beneficial for soldiers?
It can make them more effective at their job - it allows them to continue to work despite the atrocities around them
Why can desensitisation to violent stimuli be detrimental to both the individual and society?
It makes people less empathetic towards those in distress
What is disinhibition?
When social norms about violence are undermined, and it is perceived as a normal thing
What can violence in the media trigger?
Physiological arousal
What can physical arousal increase the chance of?
Aggressive behaviour
When an individual is physiologically aroused, what happens to inhibitions?
They are supressed by the drive to act aggressively
Why is prolonged violent media exposure bad?
It portrays the message that violence is a normal part of everyday life
What are the 2 AO3 points for the disinhibition explanation of media influences?
1) The effect of disinhibition is dependent on other factors
2) Negative consequences make disinhibition less likely
Which age group are most likely to experience disinhibition?
Young children
Why are young children most likely to experience disinhibition?
They are more likely to be drawn into violent media without considering the motives or consequences
Children who grow up in which type of household are less likely to experience disinhibition?
Anti-violence households
Children who grow up in which type of household are more likely to experience disinhibition?
Households where children are physically punished
Why are children who grow up in households that use physical punishment more likely to experience disinhibition?
Because violence is the ‘norm’ for them
What has research found decreases disinhibition?
When the viewers of violent media are exposed to the negative consequences of this media
In the disinhibition study where participants were shown a boxing clip, what were the 2 clip endings?
In one ending there were no consequences for the perpetrator, but in the other ending the loser of the fight was seen to take a brutal beating + dies
In the disinhibition study where participants were shown a boxing clip, what was found?
Participants who didn’t see the consequences of the violence acted more aggressively after watching the clip than those who didn’t
What is cognitive priming?
A temporary increase in accessibility of violent thoughts and feelings
Give an example of cognitive priming.
When playing a computer game in which the player ‘kills’ other characters, this may prime thoughts of physical fighting
How does cognitive priming lead to aggression?
The accessibility of violent thoughts may then lead to feelings of anger and a desire to harm others
What may prolonged exposure to violent media mean for cognitive priming?
May result in a lowered activation threshold for aggressive thoughts
What are the 2 AO3 points for the cognitive priming explanation of media influences?
1) Research support
2) Priming is less likely with unrealistic media
Who provided research support for cognitive priming?
Bushman
Who were the participants in Bushman’s cognitive priming study?
200 female and male psychology students
In Bushman’s cognitive priming study, what were the participants required to do?
To watch 15 minutes of either a violet film or a non-violent film
What were the findings of Bushman’s cognitive priming study?
Participants who watched the violent film went on to have quicker reaction times to aggressive words than those who watched the non-violent film
In terms of realism, what type of media is more likely to lead to aggression?
Highly realistic media
