Showing papers in "Journal of Communication in 1984"

Videogames, Television Violence, and Aggression in Teenagers

Abstract: VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper by Dominick was to examine the effects of videogames and television violence upon levels of self-esteem and aggression in adolescents. The study examined both the stimulation theory of viewing violence, which suggests that viewing such scenes could increase the probability of commission of actual violence, and catharsis theory, suggesting that viewing violence reduces levels of aggression by purging the viewer of aggressive feelings. METHODOLOGY: The author employed a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design with a non-probability sample of tenth and eleventh grade adolescents at three high schools in northeast Georgia. Of the 292 children who agreed to participate, 250 survey questionnaires that could be used in the study were returned. Measures included total amount of time spent per week playing videogames at arcades, and the total amount of money spent per week in these activities. Viewing of television violence was measured by how often each subject watched each of 24 programs, 16 of which were rated as above average in violence by the National Coalition on Television Violence. General television viewing was measured by number of hours spent watching television on an average day, as well as the amount of time spent watching on the day before the survey. School performance was measured with average grades received by the subject, and a measure of socio-economic status (SES) was obtained via use of the Occupational Prestige Scale. Aggression was measured with three types of question. The first involved hypothetical responses to various hypothetical situations, ranging from backing out of the situation to fighting. The second consisted of six items that dealt with interpersonal relations with others and manifest physical aggression, and attitudes to fighting. The third measure of aggression was an index of aggressive delinquency, according to the frequency with which the subject engaged in three violent acts - fighting with several people, hurting someone for revenge and fighting with another student. Self-esteem was measured with four items based upon a scale developed by Rosenberg, with subjects agreeing or disagreeing with statements about self-worth. Analysis was conducted both for the overall sample and separately for boys and for girls, and included correlations, examination of frequencies, ANOVA and Chi-Square. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The author found that 24% of the girls and 18% of the boys did not play videogames, with average time playing being less than an hour for girls and an hour and a half for boys. Girls spent an average of $1.50 each week on videogames, with only 6% playing alone, whilst boys spent just over $2.00, with 21% attending the arcade by themselves. 36% of the girls' families owned home systems, with 55% of the boys' families having videogames at home - a variable that was negatively related to school performance for boys. Boys viewed more television violence than did girls, although this finding was only weakly significant (p AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS: The author recommended future research be conducted using subjects from various age groups in different settings with more accurate and thorough measures of aggression. EVALUATION: This study represents an interesting examination of the relationships among videogame playing, television viewing and aggression. However, the use of a sample from one location with subjects of the same age group might have resulted in either an overestimation or an underestimation of the true effects of violent media upon aggressive behavior. The use of self-report data might have led to inaccurate findings, and the measures of aggression might not have covered all types of aggressive tendencies. Internal validity, therefore, might not be of the highest order. However, the study provides a good basis for further research. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - Georgia KW - Grade 10 KW - Grade 11 KW - Senior High School Student KW - Late Adolescence KW - Early Adolescence KW - Exposure to Violence KW - Video Game Violence KW - Aggression Causes KW - Juvenile Aggression KW - Media Violence Effects KW - Television Viewing KW - Television Violence KW - Juvenile Self-Esteem

The Effects of Multiple Exposures to Filmed Violence Against Women

Abstract: Much concern has been expressed over what is perceived to be an increasing trend toward the portrayal of brutality against women in the media. Some individuals contend that the continual portrayal of women in film and other mass media as victims of sexual assault and other violent acts encourages the battering and sexual harassment of women in real life (21). Laboratory investigations of the effect of media portrayals on aggression against women have generally shown that exposing men to such portrayals results in more negative attitudes about women and increases in aggression against them (24). The study reported in this article attempts to extend previous research by exposing men to five commercially released, feature-length, R-rated movies that depict vio-

Family Patterns and Television Viewing as Predictors of Children's Beliefs and Aggression

Abstract: VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study by Singer et al. was to examine the ways in which children's family life and TV viewing combine to predict aspects of their conscious experience as well as their social interaction patterns and behavior. METHODOLOGY: A quasi-experimental design was employed using 63 children whose average age was four when data were first obtained in 1977. When final data were obtained in 1982, the average age was close to nine. Initially, the children had been observed during play and rated on their aggressiveness. Parents had maintained detailed TV logs for at least three two-week periods during the previous year. The average weekly TV viewing was 24 hours. In 1980, mothers filled out the Hoffman Child rearing questionnaire which included a series of items about discipline and control, power assertion, physical punishment, and forceful control of the child. Mothers described in detail the family's daily routines, and activities. The measure of parental values was derived from a multitrait-multimethod analysis of self descriptions. The variables "hours of sleep" and "emphasis on outdoor activities" were also included. Parents were also asked about the family's use of TV and any restrictions they put on their children. The children were interviewed and tested for cognitive skills, IQ, and knowledge of TV characters. In 1982, the children came to the Yale TV Center for further interviews and to complete a "Scary World" questionnaire. Dependent variables were beliefs about the world (high scores indicate "scary world"), physical aggressiveness, behavior in school (high score indicates the child has been disruptive), and motor activity (high score indicates self restraint and lack of restlessness). Multiple regression was used to analyze the data. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate how much combined family and TV variables could predict the scores on the dependent variables. Belief system showed significant positive correlations with TV environment (p AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors suggested that parents, educators and the media industry take a serious look at the possible consequences for the early school-age child of unrestrained viewing of violence on TV. EVALUATION: This study has a strength in being a longer term study than most experiments. A sample of 63 is a large enough one to draw correlations from, though the usual weaknesses of experiments do apply here--artificiality, possibility of a narrow population for generalization, and other impact of the experiment itself. The measures hinged chiefly on parental reports--which the authors argue would underestimate occurrence. However, the possibility of sensitization of the parents to the condition of being part of an experiment cannot be overlooked, for whatever effect it may have. The authors argue for a restraint of the child's exposure which, in some respects may work, but still does not get at the heart of the process through which violence on television affects youth. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - 1970s KW - 1980s KW - Child Aggression KW - Child Development KW - Television Viewing KW - Television Violence KW - Media Violence Effects KW - Exposure to Violence KW - Family Relations KW - Aggression Causes KW - Child Perceptions