Violence in TV and Movies: Does it promote violence in real life?

Violence in TV and Movies: Does it promote violence in real life?James Wells, Jacinta Fry & Lyudmyla Dendtler

17th October 20111On the scale from 1-10 please rate your stress level at present momentActivity 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfudknaMC_4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkgPIz-49Fs&feature=related

Please watch these carefully 3After watching these images, please rate your frustration/stress level from 1-10.

Has it changed? Activity4Aggression can vary by culture, individual and situation

Aggression can come in different forms: verbal, physical

If the action was intentionally made to try and cause harm that makes that action aggressive Aggression

5Biological (the brain, alcohol, gender)Cultural (nurture versus nature, peers influence, social learning theory) Physiological (prolonged frustration, stress, lack of nonviolent learnt alternatives, pain and discomfort, war) Frustration aggression theory (frustration, unable to obtain a goal can lead to aggression)Aggressive Stimulus (having weapons available keeps aggression on the mind)TV, movies and video games (relates to social learning theory)

Causes of aggression6Some psychologists argue that aggression is programmed into our genes.The Brain - Brain chemicals can influence aggression as well.Serotonin can have an inhibiting effect on impulsive aggressionTestosterone excessive amount of testosterone in brain can lead to violent behaviourStudies show that sociopathic violence in individuals can be caused by low levels of activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (i.e. lack of ability to feel)

Exploring causes of aggression Biological 7Gender - Buss and Duntley are two evolutionary psychologists who say that men and aggression are connected to reproductionStatistics show that men are indeed more aggressive then women:Men commit 90% of all violent crimesMales commit most acts of violence and aggression when they are in their teens and 20's - the time they are most fertile

Exploring causes of aggression Biological 8Even though higher aggression in men can be explained biologically i.e. men have more testosterone than women, it can't all be based on one's genes, culture plays the role in moulding the sexes; their attitudes and behaviour. It is common for men to be 'trained' by society to be aggressive or violent while women are expected to be sweeter and more docileExploring causes of aggression Biological 9Research by Quartz and Sejnowski shows that aggression starts early in life and depends on the cultural influence of taming (nurture versus nature)

a typical two year old does eight to nine acts of aggression every hour

we are most aggressive between 2 and 2 years oldExploring causes of aggression Cultural

10Peers - A person's peer group can also play a part in how aggressive or violent they are. The peer group can either enhance or dull a person's biological tendency to be violent.

Exploring causes of aggression Cultural

11Social Learning Theory - People are likely to copy the people they see around them. This is the idea that we learn social behaviour by observing others and imitatingChildren learn how to act by modelling the adults, peers, famous and fictional characters they admire most. The people children imitate most is their parents.Parents who abuse their children were often abused as children

Exploring causes of aggression Cultural

12The Bandura experiments showcased the power of social learning. In these experiments a group of kids would watch an adult punch and knock around an air-filled "Bobo" doll. After seeing the adult smacking, kicking, and yelling at the doll, the children were allowed to play. They imitated the adult they'd seen and abused the doll the exact same way. Some were even creative and were even more aggressive then the adult. Another group that did not see these actions did not show aggression to the doll. his offers ample evidence that people learn social behaviour by watching and imitating others.Exploring causes of aggression Cultural

13Frustration-aggression theory states that frustration, or the perception of being prevented from attaining a goal, increases the probability of an aggressive response.

Exploring causes of aggression Frustration-Aggression Theory

14Television, video games, and movies are still relatively new inventions and are becoming increasingly violent and realistic as technology advances and society changes. Number of studies conducted to identify if violence in TV, movies and video games cause violence in real life however researchers are still struggling to find answers. TV, movies and video games

15Looking at Bandura experiments - children who witness acts of aggression will often mimic those acts. Leonard Eron, a social psychologist, estimates that by the time the average American child finishes elementary school, he or she will have seen 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other acts of violence thanks in large part to TV and movies.Exploring causes of aggression TV, movies and video games

16According to a study conducted by the National Institute on Media and Family, children spend more time sitting in front of electronic screens than doing any other activity besides sleeping. Kids excessive screen time comes with all kinds of hazards: lack of physical activity, exposure to adult themes and content, and lack of interaction with family and peersTechnology and media

17Theres a fine line between TV production companies censoring their material

There main aim is to keep you watching

As long as it doesnt give you nightmares or make you vomit

Australian censorship is being reviewed however many acts of violence still get through (YouTube)Censorship18March 28, 2002Adolescents who watch more than three hours of TV daily are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour as adults

Study links TV viewing among kids to later violence19By Mark Schone, 11/9/2003This week, accused D.C. sniper Lee Malvo may become the latest in a string of criminal defendants to plead not guilty by reason of "The Matrix"

The Matrix defense

20Repeated viewing of violent scenes in films, television or video games could make teenagers behave more aggressively, US research suggests.The National Institutes of Health study of 22 boys aged 14 to 17 found that showing dozens of violent clips appeared to blunt brain responses.The longer the boys watched the videos, the less they responded to the violence within them

Violent images 'boost teenage aggression'216th March 2009High levels of violence in cartoons such as Scooby-Doo can make children more aggressive, researchers claimed Cartoons aimed at children, such as Scooby Doo, contain more brutality than programmes meant for general audiences, a study has foundThe study also found that youngsters tended to mimic the negative behaviour they saw on TV such as rumour-spreading, gossiping and eye-rolling.

Cartoon violence 'makes children more aggressive'

22 Violence and aggression are a part of being human. By understanding where our desire to inflict pain comes from we can have insights into controlling our aggressive and violent tendencies. Although through research it has been identified that violence in TV can cause violence in real life, biological, cultural and physiological factors play some role in people displaying aggression in real life.

Conclusion 23http://www.parentfurther.com/technology-media/facts/facts_vlent.shtml http://articles.cnn.com/2002-03-28/health/kids.tv.violence_1_effects-of-tv-violence-violent-television-study-links-tv?_s=PM:HEALTH http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/03/04/tv-ratings-do-not-capture-aggression/4525.html http://knol.google.com/k/violence-and-aggression#

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