media influences on aggression Flashcards
what is the media?
the main means of communication (TV, publishing such as newspapers and magazines and internet based formats such as instagram and twitter) that allow info to be shared to loads of people at once
what are media influences on aggression suggesting?
changes in behaviour that are attributed to exposure of media such as TV and computer games
what are some problems with researching aggression and media influences?
- unethical and can create actual aggression
- so aggression is often measured indirectly (e.g self report which can be biased) and through low level aggressive behaviours
supporting evidence - lab and field experiments
bjorkquist
- group of finnish children 5-6 yo
- half watched violent films half watched non violent films, and all children were observed on their interactions with one another whilst watching a film
- those who watched violent film had a much higher rating when measured for physical aggression e.g hitting other kids
supporting evidence - longitudinal study
huesmann et al
- studied 557 children growing up in chicago 1977 aged 6-10
- and then 329 of the smae group in 1997
- found that habitual early exposure to tv violence was predictive of adult aggression for both boys and girld
- results were consistent even for socio economic status, intelligence and different parenting styles
supporting evidence - meta-analysis
bushmann & huesmann
- meta-analysis of 431 studies involving 68,000 participants (267 children and 167 adults)
- most looked at impacts of TV, but some looked at video games, music and comic books
- modest but significant effect sizes for exposure to media violence on aggressive behaviours, thoughts, feelings and arousal levels.
- short term effects were greatest for adults, long term for children
what is the effect of video games?
viewer is active rather than passive, and player is rewarded for using violence so there is often a greater influence on aggressive behaviours compared to the media
video games - supporting research, lab and field studies
gentile and stone
- increase in hostile feelings & aggressive behaviour after playing violent video games compared to non-violent games
anderson and dill
- participants split into 2 groups: played violent FPS game and non violent game
- after, participants competed against eachother in a reaction test. winner would blast opponent with white noise
- those who played the violent game rated themselves higher on the state hostility scale and blasted opponents for longer with white noise
video games - supporting research, longitudinal study
anderson et al
- surveyed 430 children aged 7 & 9 at two points throughout the year
- children who had high exposure to violent games were rated by themselves, peers and teachers to be more verbally and physically aggressive
adachi and willoughby
thought that the link between violent video games & aggression was due to the competitive elements of the game, rather than the violence within
what are the 3 underlying mechanisms that explain the impact of watching aggression in the media and displaying aggressive behaviours?
- desensitisation
- disinhibition
- cognitive priming
what is the desensitisation explanation?
- normally anxiety about violence inhibits the use of violence
- repeatedly watching violence within the media over a long time reduces the anxiety experienced to seeing violence
- therefore when seen in real life the desensitised individual does not have this inhibiting feel to avoid using violence or feel bad for using/seeing violence
evaluation of desensitisation
- counterargument - viewing violent images may be cathartic (psychoanalytic theory) and prevent actual expression on violence
- individual differences e.g personality - some more influenced than others
- need for media regulation if we believe in desensitisation
what is the disinhibition explanation?
repeatedly watching violence through media legitimises the use of violence in real life because it undermines the social sanctions that usually inhibit such behaviour
what is the cognitive priming explanation?
- priming is when thinking of something, helps a person have access to another thought
- playing a video game acts as a primer to think about violence and aggression - primers trigger thoughts of aggression which then activate memories of aggression which impact behaviour
- explains the short term effects of violence
