Topic C

Página 1

Aim: investigate whether aggression varied between cultures. They were also interested in the difference levels of aggression between males and females

Procedure:

400 psychology students

half of the students in Japan and the other half in Spain

students were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured different types of aggression:

verbal aggression

physical aggression

anger

hostility

Findings/results:

Japanese students showed more physical aggression

Spanish students showed more verbal aggression and anger

males showed more physical and verbal aggression and hostility than females in both cultures

males and females in both cultures showed the same level of anger

Strenghts:

questions produce quantitive data, so can't be interpreted differently by researchers

the students were volunteers and aware that the results would be published.--- it's ethical

Weaknesses:

the participants were psychology studets and may have tried to guess the aim of the study

students may have answered the questions according to how they think they would act but in real-life situation might be different

Conclusion:

despite the cultural stereotypes of Japanese, they foung that the males and females are more physically aggressive than Spanish students

the finding that Spanish students are more verbally aggressive is consistent with the sterotype of Spaniards being expressive

study supports previous theories that males are more aggressive than females

Aim: whether people who played violent video games became aggressive

Procedure:

laboratory experiment

210 students split into two groups

IV---- type of video game

DV---level of aggression shown after playing the game

participants were told that the study was about the development of motor skills

participants were placed in a cubicle and told to play againt an opponent who as in another cubicle (there was no opponent)

after 15 mins they were asked to begin a comptetitive game with the opponent

person who pressed the button fastest would be able to give the opponent the punishment of blast of loud noise

finally, an experimenter entered the cubicle and fully debreifed participants

Results:

the loudest and longest blasts of noise were given from participants who played the violent game

women gave greater punishment to their oponents than men

Conclusion:

playing violent games incresed the level of aggression, particulary women

Strengths:

researchers had a lot of control over the participants and their experiences. It was reliable

findings of this study have useful applications in the real world

Weaknesses:

they may have guessed the aim of the study

it's not a realistic study and participants may not have acted naturally

didn't informed fully about the true aim of the study

they may have been stressed by receiving loud blasts of noise or believing that they were harming someone else with loud blasts of noise

Aim: to investigate the effects of television on children's behaviour

Procedure:

began the study two year before TV was connected to the island---natural experiment

IV--- television (before and after its introcuction)

DV--- children's behaviour on the island

researcher collected information on the children and observed them

Results:

little difference in children's behaviour before and after

TV didn't have the impact it could have had in a less isolated enviroment

Conclusion:

TV didn't have a siginificant impact on children's behaviour.

if violence was watched it was not copied

this was due to hight levels of community control and surveillance and parents' control over behaviour

Strenghts:

natural experiment---greater realism--happening naturally

discreet cameras were used so children would have acted naturally

Weaknesses:

teacher and parents might prevent a negative perception of the children, due to the negative view that the researchers woul have of the Island.

programmes watched by children contained less violence than programmes watched by mainland children

Aim: measure children's behaviour before and after TV had been introduced + compare the children's behaviour with that in other towns that did have TV

Procedure:

natural experiment

Ramirez et al (2001)

Anderson and Dill (2000)

Charlton et al (2000)

Williams et al (1981)