Reply to Comments on SPSSI Research Summary on Media Violence by Cupit (2016), Gentile (2016), Glackin and Gray (2016), Gollwitzer (2016), and Krahé (2016)

Abstract

In responding to the published comments on our SPSSI Research Summary on Media Violence, we note that several key themes emerge. In assessing the media violence research evidence, it is more informative and less biased to draw conclusions based on the full range of findings than to emphasize findings from individual studies. Using the full range of studies, it is clear that consuming violent media influences the way people think and feel, and increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior. However, when placing such findings into real world settings, it is important to consider media violence exposure as one of many risk factors for violence and aggression rather than as a sole factor. This acknowledgment of multiple causal factors does not make media violence unimportant––it is one of the few risk factors for aggression that can be addressed relatively easily and inexpensively. To this end, researchers are encouraged to now focus their efforts on finding those factors that moderate the media violence exposure–aggression link, and policy makers and professionals who work with children are encouraged to incorporate media violence science into their practices and decision-making.