Media and aggression

What are 5 different types of media?

• TV

• Film

• Video games

• Social Media

• Radio

List 3 pieces of research in the effects of film/TV on aggression:

• Bjorkvist (1985)

• Huesmann et al (2003)

• Bushman and Heusmann (2006)

Why is the effect of media on aggression often studied?

Aggressive behaviour cannot be directly studied for ethical reasons, so this is an ethical alternative

What is an experiment on the effect of violent films/TV on aggression?

Bjorkvist (1985)

Summarise Bjorkvist (1985):

• exposed 5-6 year old Finnish children to violent/non-violent films

• Results:

  • Violent - rated much higher on measures of physical aggression (Eg: hitting other children)

What is a longitudinal study on the effect of violent films/TV on aggression?

Huesmann et al (2003)

Summarise Huesmann et al (2003):

• 557 children ages 6-10 in 1977

• 329/557 in 1992

• Results:

  • habitual exposure to TV violence predicted later aggression as adults

  • EVEN when other situational factors were controlled (eg: parenting, socio-economic status)

What is a meta-analysis into the effect of violent films/TV on aggression?

Bushman and Huesmann (2006)

Summaries Bushman and Huesmann (2006):

• analysed 431 studies w/ >68,000 participants

• over ½ of the studies were on children

• MOSTLY TV/film, but some other media (music, games, comics)

• Findings:

  • an effect was found on exposure to violent media on aggressive: thoughts, angry feelings, behaviours, and arousal levels

  • ST = great for adults

  • LT = greater for children

What are 3 pieces of research into video games’ effect on aggression?

• Andersen and Dill (2000)

• Andersen et al (2007)

• Grietemeyer and Mugge (2014)

What is a experiment into video games’ effect on aggression?

Andersen and Dill (2000)

Summarise Andersen and Dill (2000):

• Participants played a violent first person shooter game or a slow paced puzzle game

• Then blasted a person w/ noise + rated themselves on the State Hostility Scale (SHS)

• Results:

  • Game - longer noise + higher rating

  • Puzzle - shorter noise + lower rating

What is a longitudinal study into video games’ effect on aggression?

Andersen et al (2007)

Summarise Andersen et al (2007)

• Surveyed 430 children (7-9) twice in the school year

• Teachers, peers, and themselves rated their aggression

• results:

  • high exposure to violent games - became more verbally/physically aggressive + less prosocial

what is a meta analysis into video games’ effect on aggression?

Grietemeyer and Mugge (2014)

Summarise Grietemeyer and Mugge (2014):

• 98 studies

• ~37,000 Ps

• How violent video games influences aggressive/ prosocial:

  • Behaviour

  • Cognitions

  • Emotions

• Results:

  • Correlation b/w violent video games + decrease in prosocial outcomes/increase in aggressive outcomes

  • Prosocial games = vice versa

Evaluation: Support of influence of media on IRL aggression

Heusmann et al (2003) (longitudinal) found habitual exposure to TV violence predicted aggression in later life, showing media can lead to real life aggression

Evaluation: overstated

Ferguson and Kilburn (2009) - when aggression is measured in terms of aggression towards others/violent crimes = NO significant relationship b/w violence + the media → suggests the link b/w aggression + media = overstated

Evaluation: validity

Experiments are often artificial and are in labs so lack ecological validity/mundane realism - eg: Andersen + Dill (2000) - Ps are given permission to be aggressive safely

Evaluation: reductionist

Environmentally reductionist, and ignores roles of things like biology despite evidence supporting it’s role (eg: MAOA-L gene) → issue bcs suggests explanation = incomplete in explaining aggressive behaviour

Evaluation: Alternative/improvement

The interactionist approach (diathesis stress model) suggests that aggression is a combination of genetic vulnerability + a trigger so is less reductionist