Media Flashcards
An explanation of media influences on ASB
Social Learning Theory
SLT: description
• Bandura: aggression is learned by:
o Direct experience – like operant conditioning (skinner) e.g. if a child pushes another child, and as a result get what they want, action is reinforced and is more likely to be repeated
o Observing people e.g. child sees someone else behaving aggressively and imitates that behaviour – this one is only relevant to the effect of media on ASB
• Key elements:
o Attention: observer pays attention to model e.g. violent film character, encouraged with exciting music/special effects
o Retention: observer retains a memory of observed behaviour, memorable characters e.g. well known actors/engaging story lines make this more likely
• Media can direct viewer’s attention to behaviours they may not have considered
• Whether behaviour is performed depends on:
o Motivation: observer must want to copy the behaviour, more likely if the role model is rewarded
o High status role model
o If observer can easily identify with role model
o If role model rewarded for behaviour – vicarious reinforcement
o role model punished will put observer off copying behaviour – vicarious punishment
• Vicarious learning – an observer sees an unpleasant consequence happening to the role model and imagines it happening to them, put off copying
• - focus is exclusively psychological – takes no account of the physiological effects of watching media violence on the brain, see desensitsation
SLT: Evaluation: Bandura
• Viewed televised film alone of a character ‘Rocky’ being abusive to an adult-sized Bobo doll
• how many aggressive responses imitated when induced by rewards
• 33 boys and 33 girls, 3-6yrs
• Ending of film:
o Model rewarded: given drinks, called a ‘strong champion’, congratulated on aggressive performance
o Model punished: given good telling off, called a bully, spanked with rolled up newspaper, threatened with a more serious spanking if happened again
o No consequences: no extra ending was added to the basic film
• After film each child spent 10mins in test room with Bobo doll, balls, mallet, dart guns, farm animals, dolls house
• Observers recorded behaviour noting number of imitated behaviours performed
• After then, children offered a sticker and juice for each physical/verbal response reproduced
• Results:
o in no-consequence and model rewarded condition imitated more aggressive behaviours than model punished group
o No difference between no-consequences and model-rewarded groups
o No difference between groups when offered rewards, use of positive incentives wiped out any previous performance differences
• if there is no vicarious punishment of aggression, viewers will be more motivated to imitate the violence they have learned
• + observers did not know which condition the child had been assigned to
• + randomly assigned to conditions
• + controlled conditions, cause and effect
• + still given choice to hurt someone, strong internal validity
• + findings into real world aggression e.g. Philips and Comstock and Paik’s studies into long term effects are supportive
• - laboratory experiment lacking validity in the operationalisation of aggression i.e. the Bobo doll does not feel pain
• - not large sample size
SLT: list of evaluation studies
Bandura, Philips, Comstock and Paik
SLT: evaluation: philips
- highly publicised heavyweight boxing fights in which the black was loser, increased murder rate of young Africa-American males
- increased murder rates of young white males following white losers
- racial similarity of loser and victim, observer identifies with role model
- clear practical applications such as limiting the amount of exposure to violent models through tougher film censorship and a TV watershed
SLT: evaluation: comstock and paik
- meta-analysis of 1000+ findings on effects of media violence
- showed generally strong short term effects and weaker long term effects
- identified factors which increased the effects of media violence on aggression e.g. if person behaving violently is portrayed as similar to the viewer – supports SLT
- found important factor whether violent behaviour is presented as being an efficient way to get what one wants – vicarious reinforcement, supports SLT
explanation of media influences on ASB
Desensitisation
Desensitistaion descritpion
• Anderson et al: desensitisation is a ‘reduction in distress-related physiological reactivity to observations or thoughts of violence’
• Empathy – ability to pick up on and respond to the emotional state of others, prevents us from hurting others, we experience an unpleasant emotional response to seeing people hurt
• However if we see enough of people suffering from the consequences of violence in media, empathetic response dulled
• Potential for reduced responsiveness to actual violence caused by exposure to violence in the media
• Initial exposure may produce aversive responses: increased heart rate, fear, discomfort, perspiration, disgust, galvanic skin response
• Prolonged and repeated exposure reduce initial psychological impacts until violent images no longer cause negative responses
• But does becoming desensitised to media violence specifically transfer to becoming desensitised to real-life violence – is it transferable?
• Electrodermal activity (EDA) causes continuous variation in the electrical characteristics of the skin
o aka conductance/galvanic skin response etc – excess of names due to a long history of research by a variety of disciplines
o If the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is highly aroused, then sweat gland activity also increases, increases skin conductance i.e. sweating
o measure of emotional and sympathetic responses
o Human extremities have a different bio-electrical phenomena: EDA meter measures the change in electrical conductance between two points over time, two current paths are long the surface of the skin and through the body, active measuring – sending a small amount of current through the body
• - Relationship between emotional arousal and sympathetic activity but electrical change does not identify which specific emotion is being elicited
• Electrodes also attached to fingers to measure changes in sweat levels
Evaluation: desensitisation list of studies
Grafman, Professor Mark Griffiths
Evaluation: desensitisation: Grafman
• Exposure to the most violent films inhibits emotional reactions to similar aggressive videos over time
• over time adolescents less sensitive, more accepting to violence
• more likely to commit aggressive acts
• 22 boys 14-17yrs
• Watched a series of 60 four-second video clips, arranged randomly in three lots of 20 clips
• Degree of violence/aggression in each scene was low, mild or moderate (no extreme)
• Asked to rate the aggression of each scene compared to the last by pressing one of twp response buttons
• Brain activity monitored using MRI scans as they watched
• brain regions concerned with emotional reactivity decreased shown by data from the functional MRI and in the skin conductance responses
• Lateral orbitofrontal cortex (IOFC) involved in emotional responses became increasingly desensitised over time
• Believes the findings of this study can be extrapolated to the way people would behave in real life situations
• Most can distinguish between playing a video game and real life behaviour, but in a circumstance where the rules are more ambiguous e.g. what if a bully provokes me, would an adolescent tend to be more aggressive and accept aggression as normal behaviour given prior exposure to video games
Professor Mark Griffiths
• Such studies could not prove a causal link between watching violent images and committing real life violence
• people do become desensitised to violence however does it cause negative consequences
• depends on a host of psychological and social factors e.g. how much violence they experienced as children
Evaluation: desensitisation: professor mark griffiths
- Such studies could not prove a causal link between watching violent images and committing real life violence
- people do become desensitised to violence however does it cause negative consequences
- depends on a host of psychological and social factors e.g. how much violence they experienced as children
