Media - influences on anti-social behaviour

Question 1

Bandura - SLT

Answer 1

• experimental
• children randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: model punished, model rewarded, no consequences
• children watched film where role model was abusive to bobo doll
• each condition had different film ending: model rewarded, model punished, no ending
• children sent to test room with bobo doll
• observers didn’t know which condition the children were in, recorded their behaviour
• children in no consequence and model rewarded imitated significantly more aggressive behaviours than model punished condition
• lab experiment; bobo doll doesn’t feel pain

Question 2

Comstock and Paik - SLT

Answer 2

• meta-analysis of studies into effects of media violence
• generally strong short term effects and weak long term effects
• found factors that increased effects of media violence, e.g if observer can identify with the model

Question 3

Phillips - SLT

Answer 3

• increased rate of murder of young African-American males following highly publicised heavyweight boxing fights in which black fighter was the loser
• increased murder rates of young white males following heavyweight title fights in which white boxer was defeated

Question 4

Grafman - desensitisation

Answer 4

• 22 boys
• watched 60 four-second video clips which were arranged randomly
• degree of violence and aggression was either low, mild or moderate
• boys were asked to rate aggression by pressing response button
• brain activity monitored using MRI scans
• found that as boys exposed to more violent videos their brain activity concerned with emotional reactivity decreased
• area of brain concerned with emotions and emotional responses became increasingly desensitised