Media Violence

Discussion Questions n How do you define media violence? (What actions constitute violence?) n Do you think there is too much, too little or just the right amount of violence in the media? n How does media violence affect you? n How do you think media violence affects others?

Are the mass media the cause of aberrant behavior?

Positive effects of media violence

Cathartic effect n Media violence can be positive n People release violent inclinations by seeing them portrayed

Socially positive action n Media portrayals of violence can increase awareness of social problems

Negative effects of media violence

Aggressive stimulation theory n Media-depicted violence has potential to cue real-life violence

Albert Bandura’s Bobo doll study n Criticized for overstating cause-and- effect connections

Criticisms of aggressive stimulation theory n Causality is overstated n Conclusions are simplistic n Much of the evidence is anecdotal n Other factors could be involved n Aggressive people may gravitate toward violent media

Catalytic theory n Media may have a role in violence n But media don’t necessarily trigger violence

Media trigger violence only when certain non-media factors are also present n Violence is rewarded n Media exposure is heavy n Violent person meets a certain profile

Contributing factors n Violence is realistic and exciting n Violence rights a wrong n Violence includes characters & situations similar to viewer’s own experience

Bottom line Violence is far too complex to be explained by a single factor Effects of media violence vary from person to person

Desensitizing theory n People becoming hardened by media violence n Society’s tolerance for antisocial behavior is increasing n Applies to news media also

Time for a quiz

“Mean-world syndrome” George Gerbner n T.V. violence makes people think they’re in greater danger than they really are n The more T.V. people watch, the more likely they are to give the “T.V. answer” n Poses a threat to democracy

The Debate Over Media Violence Effects

CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, AND THE MEDIA A Report for Parents and Policy Makers Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Utah, Chairman Committee on the Judiciary

“By age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence.” “Television alone is responsible for 10% of youth violence.”

“More than 1,000 studies on the effects of television and film violence have been done over the past 40 years.” “The majority of these studies reach the same conclusion: television and film violence leads to real-world violence.”

“The existing research shows beyond a doubt that media violence is linked to youth violence.”

Side 1: Media violence DOES promote violent behavior in young people

Huesmann & Moise n Research shows that media violence has a strong effect on audience

n Short-term changes after exposure n Physical attacks on people & inanimate objects n Media violence primes/cues aggression

n Viewing habits of young children predicts subsequent aggression n Exposure to violence leads to arousal, desensitization & acceptance

Side 2: Media violence DOES NOT promote violent behavior in young people

Freedman n Counters "powerful effects" argument n Laboratory studies unrealistic (demand characteristics) n Results inconsistent & inconclusive

n Children know the difference between real & fiction n Correlations small (1-10%) n Not necessarily causal

For some children under some conditions, some television is harmful. For other children under the same conditions, or for the same children under other conditions, it may be beneficial. For most children, under most conditions, most television is neither particularly harmful nor particularly beneficial. Wilbur Schramm, Jack Lyle, Edwin Parker