Effects Of Media Violence Research Articles

New Wine in an Old Bottle? Exposure to Bullying-Related Media and Bullying Perpetration Behavior in Daily Life Among Adolescents.

Although the effect of media violence on aggression has garnered major attention, little is known about the link between bullying-related media exposure and bullying behaviors. Across three studies, we examined this association among Chinese adolescents. Study 1 used a large sample of adolescents (n=10,391, 51.4% boys) to investigate the link between bullying-related media exposure and bullying perpetration. Using another adolescent sample (n=3,125, 49.5% boys), Study 2 replicated the findings from Study 1 and extended the investigation from traditional bullying to cyberbullying perpetration. Study 3 examined the longitudinal associations between bullying-related media exposure and (cyber)bullying perpetration 6 months later (n = 2,744, 47.0% boys). The results suggested a positive, albeit small, association between exposure to bullying-related media and (cyber)bullying perpetration. Importantly, personal anti-bullying attitudes moderated this link, with a significant association observed among adolescents holding weak anti-bullying attitudes. Findings are discussed with respect to the media's effect on bullying behaviors.

Solving the puzzle of null violent media effects.

Solving the puzzle of null violent media effects.

Effects of violent media content: Evidence from the rise of the UFC

We document the effect of violent media on crime. Specifically, we evaluate the effects of The Ultimate Fighter, a hit TV show that features fighters competing in violent mixed martial arts and which brought Ultimate Fighting Championship into the mainstream. We estimate the effect of exposure to the show’s earliest episodes using panel data from police agencies across the United States and a strategy that uses network ratings prior to the show’s premier as an instrumental variable. We show that this exposure significantly reduced crime: these effects are particularly evident for assault, began in the month the show premiered, and persisted for many years. These estimates do not reflect systematic differences across geographic areas in their trends in crime rates prior to 2005. To complement our main results, we also investigate the effects of “UFC Main Events,” which air in bars and on Pay-Per-View. This analysis additionally suggests reductions in violence caused by viewership.

Emotion Recognition and Inhibitory Control in Adolescent Players of Violent Video Games.

Developmental changes during adolescence may make youth susceptible to violent media effects. Two studies with male adolescents (N1 = 241; N2 = 161; aged 12-17) examined how habitual and short-term violent video gaming may affect emotion recognition and inhibitory control. We found that not habitual exposure to violent video games, but to antisocial media content predicted worse emotion recognition. Furthermore, higher habitual exposure to violent games predicted better inhibitory control over emotional stimuli in a stop signal task. However, short-term causal effects of violent gameplay on adolescents were not found. While these results do not indicate a negative impact of violent video games on young players, future research may further investigate possible effects of antisocial media content on adolescents.

Violent media use and aggression: Two longitudinal network studies

ABSTRACT Exposure to violent media has been widely linked to increased aggression. In the present research, we examined whether violent media exposure would be associated with increased aggression, which would then spread within social networks like a contagious disease. Two groups of first year psychology students completed a questionnaire three times over the course of a year, measuring their media exposure, aggression, personality, and social relations within the group. Cross-sectional analysis provided mixed results in regards to the link between violent media and aggression. Siena analysis found no evidence of homophily (i.e., participants were not more likely to be friends with others similar to themselves) nor of social influence (i.e., participant’s behavior did not predict a change in their friends’ behavior). However, given the relatively small sample sizes and the weak ties between participants, more work is needed to assess the spread of violent media effects.

Are caregivers concerned about media violence? A survey of U.S. parents’ beliefs about specific media violence effects

ABSTRACT Using the extended parallel process model (EPPM), we argue parents and caregivers will be concerned about media violence when they perceive the outcomes as being severe, and they perceive their families as being susceptible. To test these hypotheses, a survey was distributed in the United States among primary caregivers of children ages 4 through 11 (K – 5th grade). In it, we provided parents with layperson descriptions of five common media effect outcomes: fear, cultivation, desensitization, aggression, and hostility. For each violent media effect, caregivers provided their beliefs about the perceived severity and susceptibility for their oldest child in the K-5th grade range while focusing on one of three media: television, movies, or video games. Results suggest parents view their children as most susceptible to fear and cultivation outcomes, but not aggression and hostility. On the other hand, they perceived aggression and hostility to be the most severe. Consistent with the EPPM, ratings of susceptibility and severity predicted overall anxiety about media violence effects. Implications for media violence intervention strategies are discussed.

Digital Trauma: The Reality and The Mean World. Media Coverage of Black Lives Matter Protests during Covid-19 Pandemic in the USA

This article seeks to establish to what extent does eyewitness user generated content influence social movements and feelings associated with vicarious/secondary trauma. Working with a sample of perspectives from activists, reporters, nurse practitioners, literary texts, and media articles this article explores the working hypothesis that eyewitness news and media narratives both play a role in cultivating environments of fear, mistrust, etc. that lead to vicarious/secondary trauma with a focus on the recent #BlackLivesMatter protests in the USA in June 2020. This article builds upon previous research facilitated by the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma within the theoretical framework of George Gerbner’s Mean World Syndrome that focused on the influence of effects of violent media on individuals’ attitudes. This article explores the similar effects that the digital eyewitness uncensored viral video of George Floyd’s death had in producing feelings associated with vicarious/secondary trauma among a sample of viewers that were directly involved in the nationwide protests during the global pandemic in America. The value of the article is twofold: it presents up to date research material obtained while conducting interviews with journalists who covered the protests and activists involved with the current social movements in America; it highlights the challenges to broadcasting for reporters and newsroom workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the interviews show that nearly all the respondents associated distressing content with feelings and emotions related to trauma induced anxieties and fears as a result of eyewitness media. Positive news coverage was reported as having a positive effect that encouraged people to understand the historical context of the Black Lives Matter movement. Most of my interviewees found distressing images “numbing” or too familiar. The article shows the media consumers’ feelings developed as a result of “virtually inescapable” graphic content.

When Media Violence Awakens our Better Nature: The Effect of Unpleasant Violence on Reactivity toward and Enjoyment of Media Violence

The effects of violent media on aggression-related outcomes is an ongoing debate, often focusing on the effects of violence portrayals that are sanitized for the viewer. However, narratives that focus on the real world consequences of violence are also known to receive critical acclaim and broad exposure. Do unpleasant portrayals of violence affect viewers’ subsequent reactivity to violence? Results from two laboratory studies show that priorexposure to unpleasant violence increases donation behavior to assist victims of real world violence (N = 60) and decreases enjoyment of fictional media violence (N = 109). The implications of these findings are discussed.

The Effect of Media Violence on Early Teens’ Hostility

As violence shown in films steadily increases, notably in those targeted towards the teenage audience, this research looks into its effect specifically by observing the change in audiences’ hostility. An experiment was done on 125 Indonesian secondary school students to observe the effect of exposure to media violence on their feelings of hostility, measured using Anderson’s State Hostility Scale (1995, 2012). Students’ hostility scores were measured beforeand after being exposed to an assigned clip; either a violent clip, or an equally exciting but non-violent clip as a control group. Results showed that those in the violent condition were significantly more hostile after watching than before watching, and those in the violent condition were significantly more hostile post-exposure than those in the non-violent condition. Out of the four dimensions of hostility, the dimension ‘Lack of positive feelings’ was significantly highest in both conditions, and only the dimension ‘Aggravation’ significantly differed between the two conditions. These findings indicate that exposure to media violenceraises teen audiences’ hostility levels significantly, which implies that further precaution should be taken when exposing teens to certain film content which has significant immediate effects ontheir moods, while also raising the issue of its potential long-term effects, should this exposure be continuous.

Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior: A five-year longitudinal study during adolescence.

Decades of research on the effects of media violence have examined associations between viewing aggressive material in the media and aggression and prosocial behavior. However, the existing longitudinal studies have tended to exclusively examine aggression and prosocial behavior as outcomes, with a limited range of potential mediators. The current study examines associations between playing violent video games and externalizing and prosocial behavior over a 5-year period across adolescence. Additionally, the study examines potential mediators of these associations, including empathic concern, benevolence, and self-regulation. Participants included 488 adolescents (Mage of child at Wave 1 = 13.83, SD = 0.98) and their parents, who completed self- and parental measures at three different time points, each 2 years apart. Results revealed that early exposure to video game violence was indirectly associated with lower levels of prosocial behavior as mediated by lower levels of benevolence. Additionally, early video game violence play was associated with higher levels of externalizing behavior at the cross-sectional level, but not 5 years later. Implications of results for adolescents and parents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

On media violence and aggression.

On media violence and aggression.

Media Violence and the General Aggression Model

AbstractThe General Aggression Model (GAM) is a meta‐theory that considers the role of personal and situational variables on aggressive behavior, ranging from the biological to the cultural. Possible mediating variables include internal states (e.g., aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, increased physiological arousal) and the results of appraisal and decision processes (automatic and controlled). In this article, we focus on one situational variable—exposure to violent media—and how it can influence a wide array of cognitive, developmental, emotional, and social processes that can increase likelihood of aggression. Previous research has shown that exposure to violent media can increase aggression through all three internal state paths, and by increasing hostile appraisals. In this article, we use GAM as a theoretical framework to explain a wide variety of violent media effects. We also add some clarifications and extensions to GAM that research in the past 15 years has shown to be needed in the model. We also suggest new research directions in the media violence domain that we believe will be especially useful in the future.

Teaching Students About Violent Media Effects

Although violent entertainment has existed for centuries, the media have made it more accessible than ever before. In modern societies, people are immersed in media, like fish in water. Using hand-held devices, people can consume media just about anywhere they want, anytime they want. Moreover, violence is a common theme in the media, and research has consistently shown that violent media can have harmful effects on consumers, such as making them more aggressive and more numb to the pain and suffering of others. Teaching students about the harmful effects of violent media is challenging because many students love to consume violent media, and believe they are somehow immune to any harmful effects. This article reviews the scientific evidence on violent media effects, discusses some reasons why people deny violent media effects, and offers suggestions for how to teach students about violent media effects.

Parents' Knowledge and Beliefs about the Impact of Exposure to Media Violence on Children's Aggression

ABSTRACTThe current study aimed to assess Jordanian parents' knowledge and beliefs about the effects of violent media on children's aggressive behavior. A sample of 262 parents of children aged 6–11 years completed a Media Quotient questionnaire about children's media habits, media effects, and children's aggressive behavior. Parents reported that their children spend an average of 4.83 h (SD = 2.12) watching TV, 3.20 h (SD = 2.29) playing video games, 1.07 h (SD = 0.88) listening to music, and only 0.52 min (SD = 0.67) reading for pleasure per day. Parents have a moderate level of knowledge about the media effect (M = 15.49, SD = 3.439). Children of parents who have adequate knowledge about the media effect, spend less time watching TV (r = −.355, p < .001), playing video games (r = −.265, p < .001), and listening to music (r = −.347, p < .001). Ninety-two percent (n = 241) of parents were concerned about the amount of sexual and of violent content their children see in movies or on TV. Children who spend more time playing video games (r = −.201, p = .004) show aggressive relational behavior. This study suggests that increasing parents' knowledge of media of evidence-based programs may have a protective effect on children's behavior.

The Interplay of Media Violence Effects and Behaviorally Disordered Children and Adolescents

A robust body of scientific research explores the effects of violent media on youths. For practitioners, the volume of interdisciplinary research and controversial findings can be confusing and difficult to generalize for best practice. This article briefly reviews the literature and presents guidelines for parenting and treating youths exposed and enmeshed in violent media. Attention is given to at-risk populations and children presenting with aggressive, violent, and antisocial behavior. Guidelines assume a family based, cognitive-behavioral approach suitable for the eclectic practitioner, with a focus on the complex, developmental, and ecological factors that contribute to presenting symptoms.

Retraction Notice

At the request of the Journal Editor(s) and the Publisher and/or the author(s), the following article has been retracted. Çetin, Y., Wai, J., Altay, C., &amp; Bushman B. J. (2016). Effects of violent media on verbal task performance in gifted and general cohort children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(4), 279-287. doi: 10.1177/0016986216660382

RETRACTED: Effects of Violent Media on Verbal Task Performance in Gifted and General Cohort Children

At the request of the Journal Editor(s) and the Publisher and/or the author(s), the following article has been retracted. Çetin, Y., Wai, J., Altay, C., &amp; Bushman B. J. (2016). Effects of violent media on verbal task performance in gifted and general cohort children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(4), 279-287. doi: 10.1177/0016986216660382 Joseph Hilgard, postdoctoral fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, contacted the journal with questions regarding the pattern of results and conducted reanalyses of the data that called into question the credibility of the data. Unfortunately, the data collection procedures could not be verified because the author who collected the data (Cengiz Altay) could not be contacted following the attempted coup in Turkey. Therefore, as the integrity of the data could not be confirmed, the journal has determined, and the co-authors have agreed, to retract the study.

Effect of Media Violence on Aggression, Attitude and Emotions of Adults

Current scenario of crime rate in India is increasing day by day. Increasing of crime rate in India depicts an extremely poor condition of our country law and order. According to national crime bureau (NCRB), ministry of home affairs, Government of India, during 2010, a total of 67,50,748 cognizable crimes comprising 22,24,831 Indian Panel Code crimes (IPC) crimes and 45,25,917 special and local laws( SLL) crimes were reported that there was an increase of 1.1% over 2009 (66,75,217). According to Indian Penal Code crime rate has increased by 3.9% over 2009. Crime rate from 1953-2011 shows that crimes such as dacoity and burglary/house breaking has been decreased by 59 years but crimes such as murdered, rape, kidnapping and abduction, robbery and riots have been increasing day by day. Murder has increased by 250.0% (from 9,802 in 1953 to 34,305 in 2011), rape 873.3% (from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011), kidnapping and abduction by 749% (from 5,261 in 1953 to 44,664 in 2011) and riots by 233.7% (from 20,529 in 1953 to 68,500 in 2011).

Violent Media Effects on Aggression: A Commentary from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

It is argued that, despite differences in cultural norms and practices, the evidence for a link between violent media use and aggression is remarkably consistent across different countries. Along with evidence that different operationalizations of violent media use also converge across countries, these findings strengthen the conclusion that violent media are a risk factor for aggression and validate the psychological explanations for these effects. However, we need comparative studies based on a consistent methodology and a theory-based selection of cultural difference variables to properly examine the potential impact of culture on the association between violent media use and aggression.

SPSSI Research Summary on Media Violence

Media use among children has increased sharply in recent years, due, in part, to a significant increase in multimedia portable devices. On average, U.S. children aged 8–18 spend more than 7 hours a day engaging with media. Governments, professional bodies, and citizens have become increasingly concerned about the social and personal impact of media with violent themes and depictions. This has been driven, in part, by a series of tragic mass killings in which it appears that media violence exposure may have been a contributing risk factor. Public health and child development professionals are increasingly convinced by converging scientific findings linking media violence exposure to increased aggression. Hundreds of scientific studies involving hundreds of thousands of participants and a wide range of empirical methods have investigated the effects of exposure to violent media. The studies show that: In experimental studies, even brief exposure to media can cause desensitization to real‐world violence, increases in aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and decreases in empathy and helping behavior. Short‐term effects of media violence and basic psychological processes produce cumulative effects over time, as explained by well‐established theories and research and social, developmental, and cognitive processes. Indeed, habitual exposure to media violence produces relatively stable changes in personality traits, such as trait aggression. Longitudinal research—studies that follow individuals over time—rule out plausible alternate explanations to these findings (for example, that the association between media violence and aggressive behavior is entirely the result of inherently aggressive people chasing more violent media). Media violence exposure is linked with physically hurting others, using words to hurt others, and deliberately damaging the relationships of others. Links have been found between violent media exposure and “real‐world” violent behaviors such as assault, intimate partner violence, robbery, and gang fighting. A growing body of evidence suggests that media with helping and presocial messages can lead to increases in empathy and helping behaviors, and decreases in aggressive behaviors. Changing a child's media diet from aggressive/violent to presocial, educational, and age‐appropriate can reduce aggression, increase presocial behavior, and improve educational outcomes. There is some consensus that a moderate amount of recreational screen time for school children is 1–2 hours per day, and that when screen media are coviewed by and discussed with parents and teachers, children are somewhat less harmed by violent media. Media violence is only one of many risk factors for aggression, but it is one that policy makers, professionals, and parents can address at little cost. Policy makers and media producers would benefit from working cooperatively with media psychologists who have backgrounds in social, developmental, cognitive, and/or personality psychology to produce evidence‐informed policies and media products. Policy makers should consider: (1) revising classification systems to be both evidence‐based and parent‐friendly, (2) including carefully constructed media literacy content in school curricula, and (3) creating a public education campaign on the impact of media violence.