Children's emotional reactions to TV violence: effects of film character, reassurance, age, and sex.

Abstract

Summary Sixty-four American children, 32 between four and six years of age and 32 between eight and 11 years of age, were each shown two three-minute video episodes containing exactly the same series of violent acts. However, one of the violent episodes (HV) involved human actors while the other (PV) involved puppets. Each of these episodes was preceded by a third nonviolent episode [Standard (Std)]. The results clearly indicated that HV was judged to be “scarier” than PV. Girls also reported being more scared by both episodes, particularly HV, than the boys. Verbal reassurance proved effective in reducing the HV and PV scariness ratings made by the older children. However, with the younger children, reassurance entered into a complex interaction with the orders of presenting the two episodes. Heart rates also dropped significantly during the violent episodes, particularly during the periods of greatest violence. Finally, significant decrements in heart rates to HV occurred, regardless of whether it prece...