media influence on aggression Flashcards
What is “media” in the context of psychology?
Channels like TV, film, books, and games that provide news, entertainment, and education.
What did Robertson’s study in New Zealand find about TV viewing?
Childhood TV hours predicted adult aggression—likely due to reduced social interaction and academic achievement.
What did Bandura’s Bobo doll film study show?
Children imitated aggression seen on screen, showing social learning theory applies to media-based aggression.
What did Paik & Comstock’s meta-analysis suggest about violent media?
TV and film violence correlate with antisocial behavior—but only account for 1–10% of aggression variance.
Why might video games have a stronger effect than TV or film?
A: Games are interactive and rewarding, reinforcing behaviour through operant conditioning.
What did Bartholow & Anderson find using the white noise task?
Participants who played a violent game chose higher noise volumes, showing increased aggression in a lab setting.
What’s a limitation of aggression research due to definition issues?
“Aggression” is measured in inconsistent ways (e.g., noise blasts, self-reports, convictions), making study comparisons difficult.
How did Anderson address the definition problem in research?
Meta-analysis of 136 studies still found a link between violent games and aggression—regardless of how aggression was defined.
How does Social Learning Theory (SLT) support media research?
SLT explains how aggression can be learned by observing media violence, enhancing the theoretical validity of the findings.
