Media influences on aggression Flashcards
What was Robertson’s (2013) study for the effect of TV on aggression?
-Studied the TV watching hours of 1000 New Zealanders at regular intervals up to the age of 26
-Researchers found that time spent watching TV in childhood and adolescence was a reliable predictor for aggressive behaviours in adulthood.
-They concluded that this was because of reduced social interaction and poorer education.
-Therefore the link between aggression and excessive TV is indirect and is caused by reduced social interaction
What was Bandura’s study for the effect of watching violent film content?
-Bandura follow up study of the Bobo doll study in 1963.
-Replicated the study except that children watched a film and cartoon version of an adult model hitting a bobo doll.
-Similar result as children imitated aggressive behaviours on bobo doll which suggests SLT operates face to face and through media
How did Paik and Comstock (1994) offer contrasting evidence to the effects of TV and violence on aggressive actions?
-They carried out a meta-analysis of about 200 studies
-Found a positive correlation between time watching and anti-social behaviour
-However, estimated TV violence only accounted 1-10% of child aggression so small role.
What 2 reasons are used to suggest Computer games have a larger effect on aggression than purely screen-based media?
1) The player takes a more active role in violence rather than a passive role in viewing
2) Game-playing is more wired to reward the player for violence ( operant conditioning)
What Lab Experiment did Bartholomew and Anderson (2002) do to test the effect of computer games on aggression?
-Participants would blast white noise to punish non-existent opponent
-found that students that played violent video games such as Mortal Kombat selected higher volumes of white noise than someone playing a non-violent golfing game -PGA tour.
What correlational study did DeLisi conduct for the effect of computer games on violence?
-Juvenile offenders in Prison
-DeLisi found that the link between aggression and violent videogames is so well-established it should be considered a public health issue and that videogames are a risk factor
What are the strengths for the effect of media influences on aggression?
-Findings can be explained by SLT: Anderson (2017) presents SLT as a “convincing theoretical framework”. They identify that it is widely accepted that violence at home is harmful for children. Logically TV and videogames are another form of social learning and therefore they are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviours when they see them being rewarded. This is a key feature of science as it is explaining findings which enhances the validity of media influences impact.
What are the limitations for the effect of media influences on aggression?
-Unsupported conclusions: 1)Many research studies methodologically weak due to CVs and therefore meta-analyses are weak due to GIGO (garbage in garbage out) as if studies are weak then findings of meta-analyses are weak. 2) Many are correlational studies so lack cause and effect so therefore unjustified. 3) experimental studies lack external validity so findings cannot be generalised. Therefore, researchers draw on premature conclusions so lack validity.
-Defining aggression: Dependent variable in studies is violence (DeLisi), white noise (Bartholomew and Anderson). However, violence and aggression are not the same. Not all aggression is violence and is not always criminal. The effects found in the studies depend very much on how aggression is defined. Therefore the differences in definitions make it hard to compare.
However: meta-analyses can overcome this problem. Anderson (2013) conducted meta-analysis which included 136 studies defining aggression differently. Researchers found that exposure to violent video games increased all outcomes of aggression in both men and women. Furthermore, the higher quality studies showed an even greater significance. This suggests meta-analyses include various definitions of aggression as a valid method for uncovering effects of media influences.
