Media Influences On Agreassion

Question 1

What is desensitisation?

Answer 1

Making someone less sensitive through repeated exposure.

Therefore repeated exposure to violence will make them less sensitive to aggression making it more likely to occur.

Question 2

Why is computer games and the role of desensitisation a concern with regards to aggression?

Answer 2

• The primary concern is that exposure to violent video games may have a desensitisation effect and that people playing the games may receive positive reinforcement from using violence. Therefore transferring aggressive violent behaviours to real life.
• Desensitisation may also affect the moral judgement of those playing the games, they may not see it as wrong to use violence.
• Repeated exposure to violence prompts less of a emotional reaction to it therefore they will more likely behave aggressively.

Question 3

What is disinhibition?

Answer 3

-When normal constraints on behaviour are loosened after exposure to media violence. So aggressive behaviour becomes normalised and an individual acts in an uncharacteristic way.

Question 4

Why does disinhibition occur when playing computer games?

Answer 4

• anonymity and visibility: The individual feels reduced responsibility for behaviour
• Solipsistic introjection: The individual will feel that they are becoming cognitively emerged with the actor in the game. Therefore uncharacteristic behaviour may occur as the individual is no longer behaving like themselves.
• Minimisation of authority: There is no law enforcement or awareness of potential legal consequences as there is in everyday life. Behaviour classified as aggressive is acted out in the virtual world.

Question 5

What is cognitive priming?

Answer 5

The idea that cues presented in computer games trigger aggressive behaviours in us.

• When a cue such as a gun is presented an individuals schemas will be triggered to behave aggressively in that situation.
• This means previously learned behaviours or responses are triggered by a cue.

Question 6

AO3 for desensitisation

Answer 6

Bushman:

• conducted a study investigating the effects of desensitisation on aggression.
• Two conditions
  1st. Participants were asked to play a violent computer game for 2 minutes
  2nd. Control group (Participants did not play a violent computer game)
• They were then exposed to someone being injured in a fight
• It took the experimental group a lot longer to help the injured confederate compared to the control group.

-This suggests Desensitisation occurs shortly after being exposed to media violence and that it can normalise aggressive behaviour.

Question 7

AO3 for disinhibition

Answer 7

Berkowitz:
-Participants who saw a film depicting aggression as vengeance game more electric shocks of longer durations to a confederate.

• This suggests media violence may disinhibit viewers aggressive behaviour when it is justified. This is because vengeance is a powerful justification for violence which loosens social constraints on behaviour as it seems socially acceptable
• This shows us individuals behave aggressively when social constraints are loosened due to justification supporting the role disinhibition has on aggression

Question 8

AO3 for cognitive priming

Answer 8

Fischer:

• Conducted a study investigating the effects of song lyrics on behaviour
• They gave male participants songs that stated negative qualities towards women
• They found the behaved more aggressively towards a female confederate
• they found the control group who listened to neutral song lyrics did not
• The process was replicated with females and were made to listen to music stations negative qualities of males and found similar results with regards to how they behaved towards a male confederate
• This suggests cues can trigger certain aggressive responses supporting the role of cognitive priming on aggressive behaviour.