Comm 309 Week 3 Notes Lecture 5 Violent Content Definitions Content Issues Questions we will ask about media violence Is there violence in the media What does the research say What theories account for effects Video game violence Why are the effects denied What are the myths about the effects Parental Concerns o A lot 43 o Somewhat 33 o Only a little 14 o Not at all 4 Pediatrics graph on d2l Your thoughts on media violence examples Psycho Alfred Hitchcock Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg Spartacus Blood and Sand Cable Premium Casino Martin Scorsese Home Alone 2 Holiday favorite ABC Percent of parents who favor new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours About 65 of pediatricians believe that violent video games increase aggression in children o Out of all of these examples Home Alone seems to have the most effects because of the audience that is watching no consequences due to the violence humor involved Is there violence in the media Initial research was done by George Gerbner 16 analysis starting in 1972 Includes violence that it realistic serious fantasy or humorous accidental violence and acts of nature are recorded as violence Would measure a week s programming problem with this you could have a bad week of TV Key Features of the Definition of Violence programming Intention to harm Physical harm Animate beings as perpetrators and targets Features of the sample o Composite week each year computer generated o Used 23 channels o 6am 11pm o 3185 programs year 1 o 3235 programs year 2 o 3212 programs year 3 Results o Across the 3 years of the study a steady 60 of programs contain violence o Much of TV violence is still glamorized graph on d2l o Violence continues to pervade American TV o Most violence on TV continues to be sanitized victims show no pain or the pain is unrealistic graph on d2l o Very few programs emphasize an anti violence theme graph on d2l less than 2 4 o Guns are often used in violent interactions around 25 of the time a hand gun in being used in violent shows graph on d2l The average rate of scenes of gun violence per hour for the highest grossing films since 1985 graph on d2l TV for Children High Risk Portrayals The following plot elements which are all featured in the same scene o Attractive perpetrator o Violence that is justified o Violence that goes unpunished o Violence that shows no pain or harm o Violence that seems realistic to the viewer Shows that have these risks o Music videos 4 o Reality 1 o Drama 11 o Comedy 1 o Movies 33 o Children s shows cartoons 50 Children s shows and violence o Programs with violence 60 o Acts per hour 14 1 o Scenes per hour 6 5 o Unreal harm 66 Non children s shows and violence o Programs with violence 57 o Act per hour 5 6 o Scenes per hour 2 7 o Unreal harm 26 Conclusions Children are exposed to substantial violence in the media The context of the violence directed at children poses risks Consequences within these violent portrayals are important An average American child will see 200 000 violent acts and 16 000 murders on TV by age 18 Two thirds of all programming contains violence Programs designed for children more often contain violence than adult TV Most violent acts go unpunished on TV The consequences of violence are rarely depicted Many shows glamorize violence In children s G rated programs violence is common good guys beating up bad guys gives a message that violence is normal and okay Lecture 6 Media Violence Effects Major Reports in the US on TV and film violence 1972 Surgeon General s Report 1982 NIMH Report 1992 CDC Report on Violence 1993 APA Commission on Youth and Violence 1993 NRC Report on Violence 1996 AMA Report 2002 Surgeon General Report on Violence 2002 2011 AAP APA Policy Statements American Medical Association AMA Children s exposure to violence in the mass media particularly at young ages can have lifelong consequences American Psychological Association APA There is absolutely no doubt that higher levels of viewing violence in the mass media are correlated with increased acceptance of aggressive attitudes and increased aggressive behavior Violent Behavior Conclusions we feel comfortable about o Individual difference in the propensity to be violent appear very early in life o The more aggressive child tends to grow up to be the MORE VIOLENT adult o Violent behavior is ALWAYS the product of MUTLIPLE interacting factors Factors which increase risk of violent behavior according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry o Previous aggressive or violent behavior o Being the victim of physical abuse and sexual abuse o Exposure to violence in the home or community o Genetic family heredity o Exposure to violence in media o Use of drugs or alcohol o Presence of firearms in home o Combo of stressful family socioeconomic factors o Brain damage from head injury American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statements Slides on d2l Report of the Media Violence Commission What is clear is that exposure to media violence is one risk factor for increased aggression in both the short run and the long run Media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior desensitization to violence nightmares and fear of being harmed What are the Effects Aggression o Exposure to violence media increases aggression o Experiments have shown effects immediately after exposure electric shocks noise blasts physical attacks o Field experiments show similar results o Graph on d2l o Longitudinal studies Huesmann and Eron 15 year long study More aggressive as adults independent of childhood aggression Twice as likely to have assaulted spouse 18 more likely to have threatened or used a gun or knife on someone in last year More likely to have been arrested for crime 22 years later from the original observation criminal behavior predicted by TV exposure at age 8 Graph on d2l The effect size is small for media violence 3 Media violence contributes about 10 to aggressive behavior Conclusions on long term studies Exposure to violent media during childhood and adolescences is consistently related to serious violent and non violent antisocial behavior in young adult offenders Childhood exposure to violent media predicts violent offender status even in the presence of other common risk factors Fear o People who watch a lot of violence in media become a little more fearful o Heavy viewers are more fearful of being a victim and see world as more dangerous Gerbner o TV