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

1. Violence in TV and Movies: Does it promote violence in real life? James Wells, Jacinta Fry & Lyudmyla Dendtler 17th October 2011

2. Activity • On the scale from 1-10 please rate your stress level at present moment

3. Please watch these carefully • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfudknaMC_4&feature=related • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkgPIz-49Fs&feature=related

4. Activity • After watching these images, please rate your frustration/stress level from 1-10. Has it changed?

5. Aggression • Aggression 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

6. Causes of aggression • Biological (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)

7. Exploring causes of aggression – Biological Some 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 aggression • Testosterone – excessive amount of testosterone in brain can lead to violent behaviour • Studies 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)

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

9. Exploring causes of aggression – Biological • Even 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 docile

10. Exploring causes of aggression – Cultural Research 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 ½ years old

11. Exploring causes of aggression – Cultural • Peers - 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.

12. Exploring causes of aggression – Cultural • Social 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 imitating • Children 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

13. Exploring causes of aggression – Cultural • The 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.

14. Exploring causes of aggression – Frustration-Aggression Theory • Frustration-aggression theory states that frustration, or the perception of being prevented from attaining a goal, increases the probability of an aggressive response.

15. TV, movies and video games • Television, 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.

16. Exploring causes of aggression –TV, movies and video games • Looking 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.

17. Technology and media • According 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 peers

18. Censorship • There’s a fine line between TV production companies censoring their material • There main aim is to keep you watching • “As long as it doesn’t give you nightmares or make you vomit” • Australian censorship is being reviewed however many acts of violence still get through(YouTube)

19. Study links TV viewing among kids to later violence March 28, 2002 • Adolescents who watch more than three hours of TV daily are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour as adults

20. The Matrix defense By Mark Schone, 11/9/2003 • This 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"

21. Violent images 'boost teenage aggression' • Repeated 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

22. Cartoon violence 'makes children more aggressive' 6th March 2009 • High 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 found • The study also found that youngsters tended to mimic the negative behaviour they saw on TV such as rumour-spreading, gossiping and eye-rolling.

23. Conclusion • 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.

24. References • http://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#