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Does Media violence (especially TV) encourage aggressiveness in children: 

Does Media violence (especially TV) encourage aggressiveness in children Presentation by Susan Carew 8th August, 2002

The Media Industry: 

The Media Industry Media is owned and controlled by powerful interests; Programs screened as America off-loads, store of violent children’s and adult entertainment; Large sums invested in media ownership; Many US situation comedies and children’s cartoons are purchased cheaply. (Source: Jane Chesneau, Australian Television Action Committee, Conference on Weapons and Violence in Australia, 1989)

Media and Violence: 

Media and Violence Popularisation of violence in the media; Print - some depict cartoons which encourage laughter at cruelty; Magazines - some degrade women and link them with violence and being victims; Video - can be intensely violent, sexually sadistic, pro-war videos are a serious international problem. (Source: Jane Chesneau, Australian Television Action Committee, Conference on Weapons and Violence in Australia, 1989)

Is Television Violent?: 

Is Television Violent? What one person sees as violent may not be seen the same way; Few meaningful definitions of violence; Broadcasters accused of allowing too much violence on T.V.(Gunter, Wober: 1988) UK - 2,078 programmes analysed, 4 week sample, under 30.1% contained some violence, frequency of violence 1.7 acts per hour (Cumberbatch: 1987) NZ - 846 episodes of violence on one week, 9.5 acts per hour, Sweden, Switzerland - low rates of violence, 2 acts per hour (NZ Foundation for Peace Studies: 1986); Average Australian child - see 15,000 murders on TV during school year; 97% of crime shows, 74% adventure, 86% cartoons contain violence (Chain Reaction: 1992)

Research Studies on Media Violence - Designs: 

Research Studies on Media Violence - Designs Laboratory Experiments - artificial S-T; Field Experiments - natural settings; Correlation Studies: large number of studies across thousands of subjects, yield correlations; Longitudinal Studies: one variable (Television viewing) predicts (aggression); Third Variables: class, IQ, age, parents etc. (Source: Huston & Friedrich-Cofer - Television Violence and Aggression)

The Debate: ‘Television Violence Causes Aggression’ - Critics: 

The Debate: ‘Television Violence Causes Aggression’ - Critics Jury is out, research is inconsistent and flawed; Effect is too small to make much difference; We don’t even have a clear definition of violence; Violence on TV is just reflecting real life (Josephson: 1995) Freedman (1984) argues the data is inconsistent, systemic biases, findings generalised to real world; Laboratory research: artificial, experimenters demand for imitation; Fieldwork and longitudinal studies - weak and inconsistent results. Freedman refers to study of adolescent boys watching nonviolent programs, more aggressive. Errors - required to watch disliked programs, not in the home, boys not representative of population, disruption of social setting; Controversial study: adolescent boys from homes more aggressive after watching nonviolent TV for 6 weeks, contradiction to lab results. (Huston & Friedrich-Cofer - Television Violence and Aggression)

The Debate: ‘Television Violence Causes Aggression’ - Pro: 

Research in 50’s and 60’s flaws, methods and designs improved; Reports support findings: 1972 Surgeon General’s Report, 1982 National Institute of Mental Health, Psychological Society, Royal Commission on Violence in Communications Industry, CRTC, UNESCO; (Joesphson:1995) Feshback & Singer study (1973) found boys viewing aggressive TV showed increase in aggressive behaviour; Belson study (1978) interviewed 1565 teenage boys in England between 1959 and 1971 - boys gave info on own level of violence, frequency. Belson found that viewers who watched high amounts of violence reported greater violence; (Williams: 1986); Many social scientists agree there is a causal relationship; Bidirectional model - television violence influences aggression, aggression influences preference for television violence (Huston & Friedrich-Cofer:1986) The Debate: ‘Television Violence Causes Aggression’ - Pro

Television Viewing - Children: 

Television Viewing - Children 90% of Australian households watch T.V.; 7 hours per day; Average Australian child watches up to 30 hours per week. (Source: Jane Chesneau, Australian Television Action Committee, Conference on Weapons and Violence in Australia, 1989)

Comprehension of Children - Age: 

Comprehension of Children - Age Up to 18 months - short attention spans; 21/2 yrs - fully fledged viewers, limited meaning, imitate, prefer cartoons; 3-5 yrs - exploration approach, search for meaning. Behave aggressively after watching high action; 6-7 years - critical time. Cognitive ability to follow plots, inference, consequences, less mental effort (effort determines processing); 8 years - more sensitive to content, not aggressive if violence portrayed as evil, suffering, likely to show aggression if violence reflects real life, identify character or engage in aggressive fantasies; 6-11 yrs - watching more adult shows, taste for horror, desensitising themselves to fear and violence, likely to become tolerant to violence in real world; 12-17 - abstract thought, reasoning, little mental effort, prefer music videos, horror, pornography (boys) deal with topics in negative way. Adolescents doubt reality of TV, challenge authority. (Source: W. Josephson, Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages)

Effects on Children: 

Effects on Children Physical aggression, potential to injure, verbal abuse, threats (Williams:1986) Belson study (1978) - television affected teenagers pre-disposed to violence; Experiment - group of children shown TV film of someone playing roughly with doll, given similar doll, more likely to play violently (NZ Foundation for Peace Studies:1986); Psychological research found televised violence has effects on children - imitation, copycat violence; Emotional effects on children, desensitise; Resort to physical violence to resolve conflicts; 300 studies in 1986 - preschoolers more physically aggressive as a result of watching television; Children who create violent or heroically aggressive fantasies and identify with heroes are likely to be affected by violent television, fantasies as rehearsals for violent response to real-life events; (Source: W. Josephson, Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages)

Do We Have A Responsibility?: 

Do We Have A Responsibility? UN 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child; Rights concerned with the need to develop; individual abilities and learn to be useful members of society; Many families are more arenas of conflict; Most Important Factor - the quality of the relationship with parents. (Source: Conference on Weapons and Violence in Australia, 1989)