Exposure to Media Violence: The Effects of
Witnessing Aggression
1.
1089 WORDS
One issue that has repeatedly gripped public attention in recent years is this:
Does repeated exposure to filmed or televised violence produce an increase in
similar behavior among viewers? This is an important question, with serious social
implications. It is not surprising, then, that it has been the subject of literally hundreds
of research projects. The findings of these studies have certainly not been entirely
consistent. Given the complexity of the issues addressed, this is to be expected.
However, taken together, they point to the following conclusion: Exposure to media
violence may, in fact, be one factor contributing to high and rising levels of violence in
the United States and elsewhere. Several lines of research conducted in very
different ways are consistent with this interpretation.
2.
First, this interpretation is supported by many short-term laboratory studies. In
the earliest of these investigations, Bandura, Ross and Ross (1963) exposed young
children to one of two short films. In one, an adult model aggressed against an
inflated toy clown (known as a Bobo doll) in various ways (e.g., she sat on the toy
and repeatedly punched it in the nose). In the other, the same model behaved in a
quiet, nonaggressive manner. Later, the children in both groups were allowed to play
freely in a room containing many toys, including several used by the model.
Observations of their behavior revealed that those who had seen the model behave
aggressively were much more likely to attack the inflated toy than those who had not
witnessed such behavior. These findings suggest that even very young children can
acquire new ways of aggressing against others through exposure to filmed or
televised violence.
3.
In subsequent laboratory studies, subjects viewed actual television programs or
films and were then given an opportunity to attack (supposedly) a real victim rather
than an inflated toy (e.g., Liebert & Baron, 1972). Once again, results were the same:
Participants (both children and adults) who witnessed media violence later
demonstrated higher levels of aggression than participants who were not exposed to
such materials did (Liebert, Sprafkin & Davidson, 1989). Consider a well-conducted
study by Josephson (1987). In this investigation, second- and third-grade boys
watched either an exciting film about a bike-racing team or excerpts from a popular,
violence-filled television program. The latter film contained scenes in which the
member of a special police team killed or knocked unconscious a large number of
criminals. After the boys watched one of these films, their behavior was observed
while they played a game of “floor hockey”. Results indicated that for boys who were
rated by their teachers as being highly aggressive in the classroom, exposure to the
violent programs had the expected effects. Those who watched these shows
engaged in more acts of aggression during the hockey game (e.g., hitting others with
their hockey stick, elbowing them, insulting them). Such findings were not obtained
among groups of boys previously rated as nonaggressive – a finding suggesting that
violence in the media is more likely to enhance aggression among persons who
already have a strong tendency for such behavior than among those in whom this
tendency is relatively weak.
4.
Additional – and in some ways more convincing – evidence for the aggression-
enhancing impact of media violence is provided by a second group of studies using
different methods. In these long-term field investigations, different groups of subjects
have been exposed to contrasting amounts of media violence, and their overt levels
of aggression in natural situations were then observed (e.g., Leyens et al., 1975;
Parke et al., 1977). Again, results indicate that youngsters exposed to violent
programs or movies demonstrate higher levels of aggression than those exposed to
nonviolent materials.
5.
Third, other investigators have conducted long-term correlational studies in
which the amount of media violence watched by individuals as children is statistically
related to their rated levels of aggression several years – or even decades – later
(e.g., Eron, 1982; Huesmann, 1982). Information on the amount of violence watched
is based on subjects’ reports about the shows they watched plus violence ratings of
these programs. Information on subjects’ subsequent levels of aggression is acquired
from ratings of their behavior by classmates or teachers. The results of such
investigations indicate that these two variables are indeed related: The more media
violence individuals watch as children, the higher their rated levels of aggression as
adults. Further, the strength of this relationship seems to increase with age, thus
suggesting that the influence of media violence is cumulative over time. The more
shows of this kind that individuals watch, the more likely they are to behave
aggressively in a wide range of situations.
6.
Finally, we should note that similar effects seem to occur as a result of playing
aggressive video games, as well as from merely watching aggressive programs. (In a
sense, such games provide players with an opportunity to participate in aggressive
activities, or at least representations of them.) In one revealing study on this topic,
Schutte and his colleagues (Schutte et al. 1988) had male and female children ages
five to seven play one of two exciting video games. In the first, a violent game called
“Karateka,” the character controlled by subjects hit or kicked various villains in order
to destroy them. In the second, a nonviolent game called “Jungle Hunt,” the character
swung from vine to vine while crossing a jungle. After playing one of these two
games, children were observed, in pairs, in a special playroom. Results indicated that
those who had played the aggressive game were more likely to hit both their
playmate and an inflated doll than those who had played the nonviolent game.
7.
Incidentally, additional findings indicate that even among adults, the greater
individuals’ tendency to engage in “horse-play” (aggressive play-fighting), the greater
their tendency to engage in more harmful acts of aggression (Gergen, 1991). Thus,
the relationship between aggressive play and actual aggression may be stronger
than many persons suspect.
8.
Again, we should add a note of caution. Not all findings have been consistent
with the idea that exposure to media violence (or participation in aggressive video
games) increases actual aggression (Freedman, 1984). Moreover, the evidence for
relatively short-term effects of viewing violence are more firmly established by
research than the potential long-term effects are. Still, existing evidence, when taken
as a whole, seems to offer at least moderate support for the conclusion that exposure
to media violence can contribute, along with many other factors, to the occurrence of
aggressive behavior.
Exposure to Media Violence: The Effects of
Witnessing Aggression - Questions
1. How does the writer answer the question in paragraph 1?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2a. List two differences between the study in par. 2 and the first study in par. 3.
Study in par.2
First study in par.3
(i) ___________________________
(i) _______________________________
(ii) ___________________________
(ii)_______________________________
b. What was similar about these studies? _________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. Fill in the blanks to show the difference between the findings of Liebert's studies
and those of Josephson.
Liebert's studies suggest that _______________________ can be affected by
watching violence while Josephson's study suggests that ______________________
will be affected by watching violence.
4. Why does the author describe the evidence in paragraph 4 as "more convincing"
than the previously cited evidence?
________________________________________________________________
5. What do the findings of long-term correlational studies suggest? Fill in the blanks
and circle the correct answer in the following sentence:
If an individual watches _______________________ as a child, he will become more
_______________________ as an adult. Moreover, the correlation between these
two variables dissipates / becomes stronger over years.
6. What factor indicates that "the influence of media violence is cumulative over
time"?
________________________________________________________________
7. What is the main idea of paragraph 6? Complete the following sentence:
According to par. 6, _______________________________________ can have
similar effects as simply watching violent programs.
8. What is the relationship between paragraph 6 and the preceding paragraphs?
Circle the correct answer:
a.
Par.6 presents the final stage of the process described in pars. 2-5.
b.
Par.6 adds another aspect of the issue investigated in pars. 2-5.
c.
Par.6 compares and contrasts the ideas presented in pars. 2-5.
d.
Par.6 summarizes the research presented in pars. 2-5.
9. Complete the following sentence according to paragraph 7.
Adults who refrain from aggressive play will be MORE / LESS likely to engage in
harmful acts of aggression. This SUPPORTS / CONTRADICTS the idea that there is
a POSITIVE / NEGATIVE relationship between play aggression and real aggression.
10. Why does the author suggest that we should be cautious about accepting the
evidence presented in the article?
a. ___________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________
11. In the last paragraph of the article, how does the writer answer the question that
he asked in paragraph 1?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Skimming Questions
A. The article can be divided to 3 parts. Fill in a description of each part:
Paragraph(s)
Main idea
Para.1
Para. 2-7
Para. 8
B. In paragraphs 2-5 the writer reports on three different groups of studies on viewing
TV violence and its effects. Complete the following table with information on each
group of studies reported:
Group of
studies
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Type of studies
Names of
researchers
Who were the
subjects