PSYU3399 media psychology Flashcards
How much time on average is spent on screens for 8-12 year olds and 13-18s?
4:44, 7:22
What are the estimates for how much violence has been witnessed on TV by the age of 18?
1992: 200,000 acts of violence. 8,000 murders.
More recent: up to 40,000 murders
Of the Gruel and Millett statements which made the better case and why?
The Gruel statement was signed 103 signers all of whom were scholars doing research in the area. The Millett statement was signed by industry reps and other professionals.
What are the established effects of violent media?
- Increase In aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour
- More fearful
- Emotional desensitisation of violence
More subtle changes to thinking: - Hostile attributional bias
- Normative beliefs approving aggression
- Aggressive problem solving scripts
- Decreased apathy
- Decreased prosocial behaviour.
What percentage of aggressive behaviour is explained by media violence as a contributing risk factor?
23%
What other risk factor correlates as strongly (0.3+) as video game violence? What is a comparative correlation from another field?
Gang membership. Correlation between smoking and lung cancer is just below 0.4
What did the brain imaging study on 8-12 year olds in Texas find?
Reduced involvement of prefrontal cortex when experiencing violent media- higher order inhibitors of aggressive impulses ‘turned down’. But ‘old’ parts of brain (limbic system activated) preparing for fight or flight automatic responses.
What part of the brain are images of violence stored in?
Posterior cingulate
What does brain imaging relay about emotions during violent media exposure?
Higher rates of negative emotions in the right hemisphere. Significant emotional processing overall.
What are the differences in desensitisation between violent and non-violent video-gamers?
Non violent gamers increased emotional response during violent game but all the same regions were supressed in violent gamers.
How does violent game playing fit within the general model of aggression?
Repeated gaming builds schemas about aggression which increase aggressive personality which feeds into the person and situational variables.
What happens when MTV is taken away?
In a locked facility taking it away showed a significant reduction in aggression 22 weeks later.
Violent media is particularly impactful on children who are developing quickly with less context and experience through which to filter what they see. Should parents never let their child play violent games?
How media influences someone is determined by a complex combination of individual and environmental risks. Ie. A good kid in a good environment playing violent games probably won’t go too wrong.
