Aggression L11 Media influences on aggression including the effects of computer games

Question 1

What are Media Influences?

Answer 1

• Media influences can include television, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, the internet and social media
• Psychologists investigate whether these media influences have an effect on our behaviour, namely aggressive behaviour

Question 2

Define Computer Games?

Answer 2

• Defined as a game played on a screen, using a mouse, keyboard or handheld controller, e.g those played on an Xbox and Playstation
• These have become a chief source of entertainment for many individuals and especially those in younger year age groups

Question 3

Why might Computer Games and Video Games have powerful effects on aggression than other media influences?

Answer 3

• The player takes a more active role compared to a relatively passive viewer
• Game playing is more directly rewarding for the player via operant conditioning

Question 4

What Measure of Aggression is used?

Answer 4

• Taylor competitive reaction time task (TCRTT), a lab measure
• PP’s deliver a blast of white noise at chosen volumes to punish a non-existent opponent

Question 5

What did Bartholomew and Anderson find? (TCRTT)

Answer 5

PP’s who played a violent computer game, e.g Mortal Kombat, for 10 minutes selected significantly higher volumes of white noise than those who played a non-violent golfing game

Question 6

What are the Strengths of Computer Games and Aggression? (1)

Answer 6

Supported by SLT

Question 7

Supported by SLT (+)

Answer 7

• Banduras BOBO doll study showed when role models behaved aggressively children copied through imitation and modelling
• Similar situation when a child views violent video games and see their model (hero) acting aggressively - they will also then repeat this behaviour

Question 8

What are the Weaknesses of Computer Games and Aggression? (1)

Answer 8

Term ‘aggression’ is defined in many ways

Question 9

Term ‘aggression’ is defined in many ways (-)

Answer 9

• The differing definitions make it hard to measure a term objectively, in studies aggression is measured through white noise blasted at an opponent
• But violence and aggression are not the same thing, all violence is aggression and not all aggression is violence
• The effects of aggression are dependant on the definition of aggression and this affects the validity of the studies