Media Psychology: Media Influences on Anti-Social Behaviour

Question 1

What is meant by media influence on anti-social behaviour?

Answer 1

Anti-social behaviour is any behaviour that is detrimental to society; the media can influence people in negative ways, causing ant-social behaviour. Most psychologists agree that media has the greatest influence on young children

Question 2

What is Desensitisation?

Answer 2

In normal situations we are innately anxious about violence. However, if a child watches a lot of violent television they can become used to it, and it isn’t as shocking, this is known as desensitisation. So, after watching a lot of violent television we can become less sensitive to violence, and it becomes normal to act violently.

Question 3

Evaluate research findings in Desensitisation

Answer 3

Cumberbatch argues that people might get ‘used’ to screen violence in the real world. He claims that screen violence is more likely to make children ‘frightened’ than ‘frightening’.

Question 4

What is Cognitive Priming?

Answer 4

This is explanation says that children take the violence they see on the television, and are primed with that response to a certain situation; this is known as a ‘script’. This means that when they are faced with a similar situation to that they saw on TV they will respond in a similar, violent way.

Question 5

Evaluate the research findings in Cognitive Priming

Answer 5

Josephson supported cognitive priming, in a study he performed. He found that participants who were shown a violent film with a cue for aggression, reacted to a similar cue in a real-life setting, and showed an increase in aggressiveness.