Media Influences Flashcards
Media influences on aggression
-Frequently seeing aggression in the media is thought to lead to increased aggression from the viewer
Social learning theory in the context of media influences on aggression
-Social learning theory suggests that identification with a violent figure will increase the likelihood that violent behaviour is imitated
-Additionally, aggressive behaviour may be vicariously reinforced if, in the media, aggression is portrayed as a way to solve problems and obtain rewards
Moral Decision making effects
-A viewers moral decision making may also be affected by aggression in media
-The aggressive hero’s violence is often seen to be justified
-This may lead to a viewer believing that their aggressive response is correct if they feel they have been wronged
Effects of computer games
-Computer games are thought to have a more extreme influence on aggression
-In computer games players do not just watch but actively control an avatar in situations where aggression is the only way to progress
-Aggressive acts are then positively reinforced with in-game rewards/praise (operant conditioning)
-However, violent video games may also reduce the likelihood of aggressive behaviour through catharsis; a feeling of relief from relieving negative emotions such as anger or stress
Desensitisation
-When seeing the results of aggressive acts, people usually feel high levels of anxiety or discomfort, and avoid aggressive behaviour to avoid the unpleasant feelings.
-However, after repeated exposure to aggression, an individual may become desensitised, reducing the unpleasant feeling and making it more likely for them to be extremely aggressive
Disinhibition
Disinhibition is when the natural inhibition of aggressive impulses that we are taught at a young age are unacceptable is removed due to repeated exposure to justified violence in the media and playing of aggressive computer games.
-Disinhibited individuals are less likely to avoid aggressive situations
Cognitive Priming
-We have schemas for how we respond to certain stimuli
-We can learn new schemas from TV and media
-For example, if we often see a hero reacting aggressively when threatened by a knife or gun, these become our cues or cognitive primers
-After this, we are cognitively primed, and if we are exposed to these cues in the real world in a similar situation, we will act aggressively
Research study evaluation point (strength canadian rural town)
-Researchers investigated playground aggression before and after television was introduced into a small rural Canadian town
-They found increases in both verbal and physical aggression
-This supports the theory that viewing aggressive models in the media means children are more likely to imitate these observed models
Research study evaluation point (desensitisation video games + real world video)
-Researchers asked participants to play either a violent or non violent videogame for 20 minutes
-They were then asked to watch a ten minute video displaying real world violence
-The heart rate of those who had played the violent video game was lower than those who had played the non violent video game
-This suggests that exposure to violent computer games desensitises players to violent imagery
Research Study Evaluation point (disinhibition summaries of aggressive scenes in tv shows)
-Researchers asked male ppts to watch an aggressive scene from a tv show and were given summaries of the TV show to read afterwards
-The male ppts who were given the summary that justified the aggression in the TV show were more aggressive to confederates in a follow up study
-Researchers suggest that the watching of the aggression with the justification disinhibited the viewers aggressive impulses
General evaluation (computer games young males outlet catharsis)
-When looking at self reports from young, male video game users, they found that they often played video games when they felt “wound up” and the video games helped them to feel “more relaxed”
-This suggests releasing aggression when playing video games reduces the chance of releasing this aggression in real life scenarios as it provides catharsis, relieving negative emotions and providing an outlet for aggressive emotions
General Evaluation (studies argue correlation childhood/adult violence)
- A number of studies argue that there is a correlation between violent video games and media in childhood and aggression in adulthood
- However, it may just be that aggressive individuals chose to watch violent content
