Media influences on aggression
Communication channels, such as TV, film and books, through which news,
entertainment, education and data are made available
Effects of TV and computer games
Excessive TV viewing
Aggressive behaviour may be linked to viewing “excessive” amounts of TV,
regardless of whether the content is violent or not
For example, Robertson et al (2013) measured the TV viewing hours of over 1000
New Zealanders at regular intervals up to the age of 26 years old
Findings: time spent watching TV in childhood and adolescence was a reliable
predictor of aggressive behaviour in early adulthood (defined as convictions for
aggressive and violent crimes)
Also, excessive time spent watching TV also associated with reduced social
interaction and poorer educational achievement
Suggests link between excessive viewing and aggression may be indirect – its a
correlation not causation
Violent film content
Viewing violent content is perhaps the most significant media influence on
aggressive behaviour
Bandura et al (1963) followed up their earlier research by looking at effects of
aggression viewed on a screen
They replicated their earlier study, except that the children watched a film of the
Bobo doll being beaten by an adult model
The outcome was similar, with children imitating aggressive behaviour of the model
(and also the cartoon version) more than the control group who didn’t see it
The social learning processes identified by Bandura operate through media as well as
face to face
TV/film effects not strong as strong as often assumed
Paik and Comstock (1994) carried out a meta-analysis of about 200 studies
Findings: significant positive correlation between viewing TV/film violence and
antisocial behaviour (eg rudeness, littering, aggression)
However, they estimated that TV/film violence only accounted for between 1% and
10% of the variance of children’s aggressive behaviour
Implies a relatively minor role for TV and film compared with other sources of
aggression – other causes eg MAOA-L, frustration, trauma, mental health issues,
deindividuation (holistic)
Communication channels, such as TV, film and books, through which news,
entertainment, education and data are made available
Effects of TV and computer games
Excessive TV viewing
Aggressive behaviour may be linked to viewing “excessive” amounts of TV,
regardless of whether the content is violent or not
For example, Robertson et al (2013) measured the TV viewing hours of over 1000
New Zealanders at regular intervals up to the age of 26 years old
Findings: time spent watching TV in childhood and adolescence was a reliable
predictor of aggressive behaviour in early adulthood (defined as convictions for
aggressive and violent crimes)
Also, excessive time spent watching TV also associated with reduced social
interaction and poorer educational achievement
Suggests link between excessive viewing and aggression may be indirect – its a
correlation not causation
Violent film content
Viewing violent content is perhaps the most significant media influence on
aggressive behaviour
Bandura et al (1963) followed up their earlier research by looking at effects of
aggression viewed on a screen
They replicated their earlier study, except that the children watched a film of the
Bobo doll being beaten by an adult model
The outcome was similar, with children imitating aggressive behaviour of the model
(and also the cartoon version) more than the control group who didn’t see it
The social learning processes identified by Bandura operate through media as well as
face to face
TV/film effects not strong as strong as often assumed
Paik and Comstock (1994) carried out a meta-analysis of about 200 studies
Findings: significant positive correlation between viewing TV/film violence and
antisocial behaviour (eg rudeness, littering, aggression)
However, they estimated that TV/film violence only accounted for between 1% and
10% of the variance of children’s aggressive behaviour
Implies a relatively minor role for TV and film compared with other sources of
aggression – other causes eg MAOA-L, frustration, trauma, mental health issues,
deindividuation (holistic)
