LS12 - Densitisation

Question 1

Desensitisation

Answer 1

Continual exposure to a stimulus caused our responses to that stimulus to decrease. Therefore have increased exposure to aggression on a daily basis means a reduction in our response to an aggressive stimuli.

Question 2

Desensitisation Providing Adaptive Responses

Answer 2

It’s adaptive for our ancestors to become accustomed to environmental stimuli that are frequently encountered e.g. tree dwellers that weren’t cared of living in trees.

Question 3

Desensitisation In Computer Games

Answer 3

People can get desensitised to violence due to violent computer games, which can be negative as people may not respond to real aggression, with any physiological arousal and people may accept violence more openly.

Question 4

Strengths (+)

Answer 4

Media Influences On Aggression Study

Question 5

Weaknesses (-)

Answer 5

Ecological Validity

Question 6

Media Influences On Aggression Study (+)

Answer 6

Weisz & Earls - 192 male & female university students watched one film on sexual aggression to men, one to women, one on physical aggression and one with no aggression. After which they were asked to complete an acceptance questionnaire on rape myths, attraction to aggression, and levels of empathy. Participants then viewed a reenactment of a rape trial and completed a 23 item questionnaire on it. Males were then more accepting of interpersonal violence, rape myths and attracted to sexual aggression and less likely to judge the defendant as guilty, showing how media can influence desensitisation.

Question 7

Ecological Validity (-)

Answer 7

Most researched e.g. Weisz and Earls was carried out in laboratory settings, and has measured aggression using questionnaires. This therefore questions whether aggression would be the same in real world settings.