Exposure to Media Violence: The Effects of Witnessing Aggression
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1.
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
Exposure to Media Violence / 2
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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 aggressionenhancing 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Exposure to Media Violence / 3
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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.
[Article provided by the Open University]
Exposure to Media Violence / 4
Questions on the text:
Paragraph 1:
Answer in English.
1.
What are the conclusions of most studies on the connection between aggressive
behavior and exposure to media violence?
Answer: _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
2.
a) What are the findings of the study by Bandura, Ross and Ross?
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b) What are the conclusions of their study?
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Complete the following sentence in English:
3.
Sitting on the toy clown and hitting it on the nose is one example of
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Paragraph 3
4.
TRUE or FALSE? Justify from the text:
Josephson’s study indicates that media violence increases aggressive behavior
especially among people who are usually non-aggressive.
TRUE
FALSE
Justification: _____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5.
What do the following refer to?
a. “these two variables,” line 57 ______________________________________
b. “this relationship,” line 59 ________________________________________
6.
In what sense are the studies mentioned in paragraphs 2-3 DIFFERENT from
the ones discussed in paragraphs 4-5?
Answer: _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7.
What does “this topic” in line 66 refer to?
Answer: _________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
8.
a. Does Freedman AGREE or DISAGREE with the conclusions of the studies
mentioned in paragraphs 2-7?
AGREE
DISAGREE
Exposure to Media Violence / 5
b. Prove your answer from the text: ___________________________________
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________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions:
Paragraph 8:
9.
An attempt is made to distinguish between long-term and short-term effects.
Discuss this distinction.
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10. What is the conclusion of this article?
Answer: _________________________________________________________
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Good Luck!!!