Media Influences on Aggression Flashcards
What is the link between aggressive behaviour and TV thought to be?
Aggressive behaviour may be linked to viewing excess amounts of TV, not just violent TV.
Describe Roberton’s longitudinal study of TV viewing.
TV viewing of PPTs was monitored at regular intervals up to the age of 26. They found that more time spent watching TV is a predictor of aggression in early adulthood.
Why does increased viewing of TV lead to more aggression in adulthood?
More TV watched leads to less social interaction and poorer educational achievement, so they do not know how to behave in an orderly way.
Describe Bandura’s research about learning aggressive behaviour through observation of videos.
Children observed a video of the adult model hitting the Bobo Doll. They then imitated the behaviour later on. This suggests that social learning occurs through video as well.
Why might video games be more powerful in causing aggression than traditional screen based media?
The player takes an active role in controlling the video game characters aggression which is rewarded when the player wins
Describe the TCRTT task (lab study) used to measure PPT aggression.
PPTs deliver blasts of white noise at chosen volumes to punish a non existent opponent.
Describe Bartholow and Anderson’s findings from there lab experiment.
Students who played violent computer games such as Mortal Kombat were more aggressive than those who played a less violent game (PGA golf).
Describe the correlation DeLisi found between aggression and playing violent videogames.
Argued that the link between aggression and time playing violent video games is so strong that aggression should be a public health issue.
Explain the strength of research support for the effects of media on aggression.
What were Anderson’s studies in his meta analysis about?
What conclusion did he make about exposure to violent videogames and aggression?
Why does this support research?
A meta-analysis form Anderson included 136 studies defining aggression in different ways found that exposure to violent computer games was associated with increases in all outcome measures of aggression (behaviours, thoughts and feelings) for both males and females. This is a strength because research studies that include various definitions of aggression all support the link between violent computer games and aggression, meaning research is valid.
Explain the strength of findings of research into the effects of computer games/TV being used to support existing explanations.
How does SLT support TV theories?
How does desensitisation support biological theories of aggression?
How do disinhibiton explanation suggest aggression is caused?
How does cognitive priming lead to aggression?
How do these theories increase validity of research?
For example, SLT suggests that children are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviours when they see them being rewarded, even more so with on screen characters. Desensitisation suggests that reduced sensitivity of the autonomic nervous system may make aggressive behaviour more likely. Disinhibition suggests that a lack of restraint results in socially unacceptable behaviours becoming acceptable and therefore more likely. Cognitive priming suggests that exposure to media violence provides a script for how to react aggressively later on. This is a strength because having an explanation to account for findings enhances the validity of research which is a key feature of science.
Explain the limitation of problems in defining aggression.
What were the different DV in DeLisi’s study, Bartholow and Andersons and Robertsons?
However, violence and aggression are not.. and studies depend on how aggression is defined.
Therefore, what are the issues having so many different DVs?
Aggression has been defined in various ways. For example, the DV in studies is violent behaiour (DeLisi), volume of white noise blasted at an opponent (Bartholow and Anderson), and criminal convictions (Robertson). However, violence and aggression are not the same behaviours. All violence is aggression but not all aggression is violent, and studies depend on hiw aggression is defined. This variation in definitions means that the findings of studies are hard to compare.
Explain the limitation that this area of research has several unsupported conclusions.
Give examples of methodological research issues.
What are the issues with meta analysis?
What are the issues with correlations?
Why might there be external validity issues?
There are several reasons why we should maintain a sense of balance. First, may research studies are methodologically weak (ie: confounding variables, poor sampling methods). Even meta analyses are not perfect on the basis that If poor quality studies are used, poor quality analysis is made. Secondly many studies are correlational so cause and effect conclusions are unjustified. Thirdly, experimental studies lack external validity, so findings cannot be generalized to the real world. Therefore, some researchers may be guilty of drawing premature conclusions that lack validity.
