Media Influences on Aggression

Media Influences on Aggression

1. Violent films and TV

   • Experiments found that watching violence=aggression
   • Natural experiments found little change in aggression
   • Longitudinal studies found habitual early exposure to TV violence is predictive of adult aggression in later life
   • Meta-analyses found a modest relationship

2. Violent computer games

   • Interactive nature of game play has greater potential for influence
   • Increase in aggressive behaviour following violent video game play
   • Longitudinal studies have found that high exposure to violent games=more aggression and less prosociality
   • Aggression occurs due to the competitive nature of the games

3. KEY STUDY: Greitemeyer and Mugge

   • Procedure: Meta-analysis of 98 studies involving 37000 participants
   • Findings: Violent game play=increase in aggression, decrease in prosociality

4. Evaluation

   • Overstating the case
     • There is little effect if aggression against a person is used as the DV
   • Simple questions but complex answers
     • Difficult to conclude simple relationship
   • Failure to consider other casual variables
     • Other factors can be seen to be the primary cause; not the media
   • Problems with research evidence on effects of computer games
     • E.g. can not use actual aggression as DV and other influences in longitudinal studies
   • Game difficulty rather than content may lead to aggression
     • Failure or frustration are more likely to produce aggression than the content