DeWall and Anderson’s (2011) General Aggression Model suggests that desensitisation,
disinhibition and cogntive priming all act together, along with other influences, to explain
long term effects of habitual use of violent media
1. Desensitisation
Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus
Psychological (eg less emotional response) or physiological (eg lowered heart rate)
Behaviour such as aggression more likely
(Normal response to violence is sympathetic arousal – fight or flight)
Role of desensitisation
Funk et al (2004) found that repeated exposure to violent media promotes a belief
that using aggression as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable
+ negative attitudes towards violence weaken, less empathy is felt for victims, and
their injuries are minimised and dismissed (correlation)
These changes suggest that a form of desensitisation has occurred
Weisz and Earls (1995)
Lab study demonstrated these desensitisation effects:
Showed their participants the feature film Straw Dogs, which contain a prolonged
and graphic scene of rape
Participants then watched a re-enactment of a rape trail
Compared with those who watched a non-sexually violent film, male viewers of
Straw Dogs showed greater acceptance of rape myths and sexual aggression
Also expressed less sympathy towards the rape victim in the trail, and were less
likely to find the defendant guilty
No such effect of film type of female participants
Krahé et al (2011) - Research support
Showed participants violent and non violent films while measuring physiological
arousal using skin conductance
Findings:
P’s who were habitual viewers of violent media showed lower levels of arousal as
they watched the violent film clips
Gave louder bursts of white noise (a measure of aggression) to a condensate without
being provoked (proactive aggression)
Lower arousal in violent media users reflects desensitisation to the effects of
violence, and it was also linked to greater willingness to be aggressive
Limitation of desensitisation is that it cannot explain some aggression
Study by Krahé et al failed to link media viewing, lower arousal and provoked
(reactive aggression)
More valid explanation for this might be catharsis
Psychodynamic theory suggests that viewing violent media is a safety valve, allowing
people to release aggressive impulses without behaving violently
Therefore, not all aggression is the result of desensitisation and alternative
explanations may be more valid
disinhibition and cogntive priming all act together, along with other influences, to explain
long term effects of habitual use of violent media
1. Desensitisation
Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus
Psychological (eg less emotional response) or physiological (eg lowered heart rate)
Behaviour such as aggression more likely
(Normal response to violence is sympathetic arousal – fight or flight)
Role of desensitisation
Funk et al (2004) found that repeated exposure to violent media promotes a belief
that using aggression as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable
+ negative attitudes towards violence weaken, less empathy is felt for victims, and
their injuries are minimised and dismissed (correlation)
These changes suggest that a form of desensitisation has occurred
Weisz and Earls (1995)
Lab study demonstrated these desensitisation effects:
Showed their participants the feature film Straw Dogs, which contain a prolonged
and graphic scene of rape
Participants then watched a re-enactment of a rape trail
Compared with those who watched a non-sexually violent film, male viewers of
Straw Dogs showed greater acceptance of rape myths and sexual aggression
Also expressed less sympathy towards the rape victim in the trail, and were less
likely to find the defendant guilty
No such effect of film type of female participants
Krahé et al (2011) - Research support
Showed participants violent and non violent films while measuring physiological
arousal using skin conductance
Findings:
P’s who were habitual viewers of violent media showed lower levels of arousal as
they watched the violent film clips
Gave louder bursts of white noise (a measure of aggression) to a condensate without
being provoked (proactive aggression)
Lower arousal in violent media users reflects desensitisation to the effects of
violence, and it was also linked to greater willingness to be aggressive
Limitation of desensitisation is that it cannot explain some aggression
Study by Krahé et al failed to link media viewing, lower arousal and provoked
(reactive aggression)
More valid explanation for this might be catharsis
Psychodynamic theory suggests that viewing violent media is a safety valve, allowing
people to release aggressive impulses without behaving violently
Therefore, not all aggression is the result of desensitisation and alternative
explanations may be more valid
