Transcript Overheads - Central Connecticut State University

Overheads
Television and Violence
Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.
The History
• Most researchers agree:
• Severe aggression and violent
behavior does not occur because
of one factor.
• Many factors predispose
aggressive behavior.
What sort of factors?
• Neurophysiological
abnormalities
• Poor peer relations
• Poor child rearing
• SES
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse
• Attitudes and beliefs supporting
aggression
Research on Media
Violence
• Research is clear: exposing a
child to media violence is one
such long-term and short-term
predisposing factor.
Theory
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Imitation (Bandura’s research)
Modeling
Social scripts
Schemas
Belief System
Attributions
Desensitization Theory
• What happens when we view
violence over and over?
Another Theory
• Aggressive children enjoy a
violent environment.
The third variable
theory
• Personal characteristics of the
child.
• SES
• IQ
• Early parenting factors
The role of priming and
arousal.
• Priming
• General arousal
• Research that supports this
theory.
• Walder (1972).
• 22 year follow-up of this study.
Huesmann et. al. (1977)
• Three year longitudinal study in
five countries.
• Replicated for boys and girls in
countries without violent
programming: Israel, Finland,
and Poland.
Differences among
countries.
• Finland
• Australia
• Israel
Correlational studies
• Past several decades worth of
research
• Long-term effects of aggression
in teen years.
• Less strongly into adulthood.
• Effects found for boys.
Huesmann study
• Follow-up of 1977 longitudinal
data of 557 children growing up
in Chicago area.
• Follow-up 15 years later.
• Question: How does early
childhood exposure to media
violence predict young-adult
aggression and violence?
Results
• 329 youths
• 15 – year longitudinal study
• TV violence viewing between
ages 6 and 9
• Sex differences
• Significantly more aggressive
as adults
What else?
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Antisocial and violent behaviors
Not just because of low SES
What else?
Implications.