Method:
Design
The design of this research was an uncontrolled experiment, also known as an observational study. By watching the different new shows, the group members inferred on what looked like aggressive behavior for both the physical and verbal categories. This experiment was purely by means of observation, as other ways (such as having a controlled study) were by far not tangible to execute. Observation of news shows did not require a controlled experiment. The group members watched the same number and type of shows, in order to compare data and check inter-rater reliability and accuracy.
Partcipants:
The participants for this experiment was Clayton, Michael and I. We observed three of the same news shows separately and recorded data and behaviors of aggression individually. We did it separately for the purpose of avoiding bias in order to accurately compare our observations. Special qualifications were not required, and the basis for the group’s similarities was that we were in the same class and go to the same school.
Procedures
We first decided on the three news shows that we would watch. These shows included Fox News Sunday, CBS Evening News, and The Situation Room. Second, we executed the plan and watched each of these shows for at least an hour and record the signs of aggression, both physical and verbal. When we met again the next day in class, we compared our data giving each other our individual results, and lastly, calculated the mean and inter-rater reliability of the results.
Results:
My final results for each of these news shows were:
The Situation Room: shooting- 2, CBS Evening News: shooting-2, Fox News Sunday: Shooting-3. The results did not have any signs of verbal aggression, or other physical behaviors besides shooting (included throwing bombs).
The graph above shows the three different news shows and the y-column refers to the number of times aggression occurred. This data is what I had gathered from my observations.
The mean for all of our results combined was: The Situation Room- 1.3, CBS- 1.3, FOX-2.3, all for shooting.
When we compared our results, we could find the inter-rater reliability for each of these news shows. For The Situation Room, it was , for CBS there was % reliability and lastly, for FOX, there was % reliability.
Analysis:
The results show that out of the 3 results that each of in the group got, there was % reliability. Also, the fact that all of us only observed the shooting category and did not see other types of aggression verifies the accuracy. Thus, the impact of the reliability depends on the different shows watched, as to what show and for what purpose it is used.
Discussion:
The results mean that they are reliable % of the time. In addition, the different categories that were observed were similar, as we all saw shooting as the only factor in the news shows. The results also show, since my data was lowered from 2’s and 3’s to 1.3 and 2.3, that we had not seen the same amount of aggressive behaviors in total.
The results show, in comparison to researchers, that most shows are aggressive in behavior and the types of behavior differs with each show. In comparison to the rest of the class, our results were different compared to other shows. Our data was different, as we did not see other types of aggression besides shooting. Most other shows did not have this time of behavior, except for NCIS which had 39 times. This suggests that the news channel does not show behaviors such as yelling and pushing, rather more of shooting other countries or people and heavier aggressive behaviors. This suggests that since news shows tell the public what really happens around the world, FOX and CBS especially airs global warfare and events such as the Gaza and Israeli shootings with each other. American television is considered moderately violent depending on the type of shows that a person watches. Cursing is prevalent in most shows (as seen in appendix IV), a category that is the highest in our class data. The mean of this category for Hell’s Kitchen was 100.33, in addition to yelling that was the same amount. The use of violence is the highest form of entertainment, as it draws attention from the mass public, and makes such shows exceptionally successful in the eyes of viewers. This should be a concerning factor for the impact that these shows make psychologically in the minds of all types of people, from children to adults. Children, these days, watch television with their parents or by themselves, and observe these negative forms of behavior later imitating them and being prone to violent behaviors. One error that lowered our inter-rater reliability might have been caused by the observers not seeing the number of times the aggression occurred. Our category that we all measured was the same (shooting), however, the number of times was different. For future research, a certain time and date should be decided upon (still watched individually), but this would give us more reliability. Also, for new shows, it is not hard to see the intent of aggressive behavior, especially that of shooting. However, if other aspects were observed then intention would be an essential factor, and for the future, an experiment should be formed in a way that intention could be looked at. Sometimes, even accidents look as though they were meant to cause harm when they really weren’t. Media is an excellent way to prove that, as sometimes they show the bias that the public is generally receptive to.
Appendix
- Raw Data for Shooting
- Mean Calculations for Shooting
The Situation Room:
CBS:
FOX:
- Raw Class Data
- Class Data Graphs
(For the graphs below, the x-axis labeled shows are: 1 is Avatar, 2 is Fairly Odd Parents, 3 is Spongebob, 4 is Double Shot at Love, 5 is Celebrity rehab, 6 is Hell’s kitchen, 7 is The Situation Room, 8 is CBS Evening News, 9 is Fox News Sunday, 10 is The King of Queens, 11 is Two and a Half Men, 12 is Scrubs, 13 is The Office, 14 is Heroes, 15 is NCIS, 16 is Lost, 17 is Drake and Josh, 18 is The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and 19 is Hannah Montana.)