Media Influences on Anti Social Behaviour Flashcards
What are the 4 explanations of Media on AS behaviours
1) Observational learning/imitation
2) Cognitive priming
3) Desensitisation
4) Justification
What is Observational Learning and Imitation based on
SLT
Who do children observe on TV which might influence their own behaviour
Media models (especially those who child admires and identifies with)
Positive/negative consequences of violent behaviour are shown. Why might this lead to imitation?
If model is successful in gaining objectives
What increases the likelihood of a child recreating the AS scenes of a TV show?
- More ‘real’
- More child identifies with model
What evidence from natural experiment supports the observational learning and imitation theory?
10 day analysis following boxing championships, signif rise in murders
What is a limitation of the observational learning and imitation theory?
Bandura’s study provides main underlying support, but we cannot rely on this link
Why is Banduras study the main underlying support for OLAI?
Imitation took place even when such models were not real (cartoon)
Why is such imitation rare outside of Bandura type studies?
- Lab experiment, lacks mundane realism
- Children reported as aggressive outside of condition
Children in Banduras study were already rated as aggressive outside of the study. What does this show?
- Cannot establish cause and effect
- Pre-existing factors, confounding variables
What is Cognitive Priming?
Activation of aggressive thoughts & feelings
What can cognitive priming explain?
Why children observe one kind of aggression and commit another
In the CP explanation, what does exposure to aggression do?
- Viewer is primed
- Network of aggression based memories are retrieved from this stimulus
In CP, what does frequent exposure to violent scenes mea?
Scripts are stored for aggressive behaviour
Who provided support for Cognitive Priming
Josephson
What was the method of Josephsons study?
- Hockey players frustrated
- Shown either violent or non violent film where actor held walkie talkie
What was found in Josephsons study?
- MOst aggressive if had seen violent film and referee was holding walkie talkie
Why were the players more aggressive in Josephsons study?
Walkie talkie had clearly acted as cue for aggression
What does the desensitisation explanation assume under normal conditions?
Anxiety about violence inhibits its use
Desensitisation: what might frequent violence exposure do
- Desensitise
- More child watches, more acceptable it becomes
How might desensitisation affect a childs violence?
Exposure to violence becomes generalised to real world - less anxiety
If there is less anxiety centred around violence then…
It is easier to commit
What is a AO2 point for desensitisation?
Limited support
What does Cumberbatch say about desensitisation?
- ‘Getting used’ to on-screen violence does not always mean used to IRL vilence
Why might people not get used to IRL violence?
On screen violence more likely to make children frightened than frightening
What is justification?
Violent TV provides moral guidelines concerning what is right.
Aggressive children might watch more to relieve their guilt
Why might on-screen violence make children violent again?
- Unpunished violence further reduces concerns
- Children feel less inhibited
What TV show found support of justification?
A Team
What happened in the A Team?
‘Good guys’ behaved violently
How might the A Team promote aggression?
Aggression by PS characters lends moral justification to violence
AO3 point for AS effects?
Gender Bias
How does research into AS suffer from gender bias?
-Male-Male violence generally focused on
Why might male-male violence suffer from gender bias?
How would this impact male-female or female-female aggression? We cannot make genersliations
What TWO studies show media does NOT lead to AS behaviour?
St Helena
Anti-Effects Lobby
What is the St Helena study
Natural experiment of British colony in SA Ocean
What was expected of the St Helena study
Region would see increase in AS behaviour
What was found in the St Helena study
Very little change in AS behaviour
Measures that did show a diff split equally between P/N
What does the ST Helena study show?
Assumption that media might be sole cause of AS behaviour is reductionist (deindividuation?)
What is the Anti Effects Lobby
- 1500+ boys interviewed
- Least TV = least aggressive
- Most TV = less aggressive than moderate
What does the AE Lobby show?
Unpredictable link between media and AS behaviour
3 limitations of the AE Lobby?
Gender Bias
Social Desirability
Retrospective Data
Evidence against AE Lobby
Meta analysis - highly signif correlation
