Media influences on anti-social behaviour

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Media influences on anti-social behaviour

Cognitive priming:

The cognitive priming explanation suggests that aggressive ideas shown in the media (particularly films) can ‘spark off other aggressive thoughts in memory pathways as proposed by Berkowitz (1984).  After a violent film, the viewer is ‘primed’ to respond aggressively because the memory network involving aggression is activated.

Criticism: +

Evidence to support the cognitive priming explanation was shown in the Hockey game study by Josephism (1987) who’s boys who had been ‘primed’ to be aggression through viewing an aggressive film acted more aggressively in a subsequent hockey game where relevant behavioural cues were present.

Arousal:

The arousal explanation suggests that arousal increases the dominant behaviour in any situation.  If the feeling of arousal is attributed to anger, then aggression is likely to result.  Research has shown that the arousal produces by (violent) pornography facilitates aggressive behaviour as shown by Zillman (1978)

Criticism:

If arousal is attributed to factors other than anger, then arousal will not necessarily result in aggression?

Cultivation effect:

The cultivation effect by Gerbner and Gross (1976) suggests that the medium of television creates (or cultivates a distrust or unrealistic fear in viewers.  This causes viewers to misperceive (or exaggerate) threats in real life and react in a more violent way.  This is also referred to as the ‘mean world’ effect.

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Criticisms:

The main problem with the cultivation effect explanation is that people who are particularly fearful are likely to avoid any threatening situations in the first place.  Thus increasing the level of fear might actually help to reduce the level of violence.

Desensitisation:

Desensitisation suggests that repeated exposure to violence in the media reduces the impact of the violence.  People become desensitised to the violence and it has less impact on the (habituation).  They become less anxious about violence per se and may therefore engage in more violent behaviour.

Criticisms:

The desensitisation argument suffers ...

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Summary The writer has crammed quite a lot of information into this work and has covered a great deal. There are areas where the writer could have given fuller explanations and this would have improved the final score. The writing is rather disjointed in places and a plan would have helped the writer to organise the writing more effectively. The media element of the writing should have included studies about video games, magazines and films as well as television. Rating Score 3*