Presentation Transcript
Media Violence Research: Media Violence Research Ellen A. Wartella
CDMC
Children’s Digital Media Center
University of California, Riverside
Slide2: NTVS Study of 1994-98 Violence continues to pervade American television
Over all three years, a steady 60% of TV programs contain violence.
Much of TV violence is still glamorized.
Most violence on television continues to be sanitized.
Much of the serious physical aggression on television is still trivialized.
Very few programs emphasize an anti-violence theme.
Slide3: Overall Industry Averages: Three-Year Comparisons Violent Interactions
Types of Research: Types of Research Experiments
Surveys
Longitudinal studies
Meta analyses
Summaries of Violence Effects Research: Summaries of Violence Effects Research Government Hearings and Reports:
1954 Kefauver, 1969 National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, 1972 Surgeon General’s Study of Television and Growing Up, 1982 NIMH Television and Behavior
Congressional Public Health Summit 2000
American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adloescent Psychiatry, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Psychiatric Association
Conclusions of Major Reviews: Conclusions of Major Reviews Brief Exposure to media violence:
Increases aggression in immediate situation
Increases aggressive thoughts
Increases aggressive feelings
Can cause fear, anxiety, and nightmares, espeically in children, which sometimes perists for long periods of time
Can teach new ways to harm others
Repeated Exposure to media violence:
Increases aggession and violence across time
Desensitizes people to acts and consequences of violence
May be larger for younger children and adolescents
Slide7: The theoretical explanation of how media violence produces its effects is that it influences how people think.
Violence Effects on Children’s Emotions: Violence Effects on Children’s Emotions Percent of college freshman reporting lingering effects of being frightened by a TV show:
90% report intense fear reaction
52% report sleep or eating disturbance
22% report mental preoccupation
35% report general avoidance
Slide10: Duration of Effects Data from Harrison & Cantor, 1999
Slide11: Data from Bushman & Anderson, 2001. Strength of Media Violence Effects
Slide12: WHAT CAN WE DO?