Media Flashcards
What does social learning theory (SLT) suggest how media influences anti social behaviour?
People learn anti social behaviours by observing and imitating models.
What are the 3 theories explaining how media influences antisocial behaviour?
- Social Learning Theory
- Desensitisation
- cognitive Priming
Who are people most likely to imitate?
People are most likely to imitate models they admire, see as successful or who get positively reinforced for their actions.
Two studies that support SLT
- Bandura’s Bobo Doll study
2. Parke et al- Young offenders
Characteristics of the participants in Bandura’s Bobo Doll study. (3)
- 36 boys and 36 girls
- Aged 3-6 years old
- Stanford university Nursery
Procedure of Bobo Doll Study (3+)
- Lab Experiment
- All participants pre-tested for aggression
- 24 shown aggressive model
24 shown non-aggressive model
24 shown no model
Findings of Bobo Doll study (1)
Those who observed the aggressive model imitated the same aggressive behaviours they observed.
Conclusion of Bobo Doll Study. (1)
Specific anti-social behaviours can be learned and can lead to an increase in aggressive tendencies.
Evaluative points for Bandura’s Bobo Doll study.
(6 negative)
(1 positive)
1P. Well executed and does show the possibility of anti social behaviours being learned.
1N. Small sample size- lowers external validity
2N. 3-6 year olds- lowers external validity
3N. Stanford uni nursery- lowers external validity
4N. Lab experiment- low ecological validity
5N. Aggression may be innate- lowers internal validity
6N. Unethical- not protected from harm
Participants involved in Parke et al’s study? (2)
- Young offenders
2. Living in an institution
Procedure of Parke et al’s study. (5+)
- Field experiment
- Independent groups design
- Normal TV services was terminated
- One group of participants watched aggressive TV programmes only
Other group watched non-aggressive TV programmes only - Institution staff observed and recorded the behaviour of the Young offenders.
Finding in Parke et al’s study. (1)
Parke et al found that those who watched the aggressive TV programmes acted in a more aggressive way themselves.
Parke et al’s conclusion. (1)
Anti social behaviour can be learned and imitated by the people who observe the behaviours.
Evaluative points for Parke et al’s study. (8 neg)
1 pos
Positive: 1. field experiment- higher ecological validity
Negative: 1. Young offenders- may already have been aggressive- lower internal validity
2. Young- lowers external validity
3. Offenders- lowers external validity
4. Institution- lowers external validity
5. Staff- bias/ subjective/ uneducated/ no time
6. Unethical- not protected from harm
7. Independent groups- individual differences
8. Demand characteristics
What is the name of the study used to contradict SLT? (1)
St. Helena study
Participants in St. Helena study (1)
Those living in St. Helena at the time of the study
Procedure of the St. Helena study (2)
- Field experiment
2. Anti-social behaviour was measured through peer and teacher comments before and after the introduction to T.V.
Findings and conclusion of St. Helena study. (2)
Findings: They found that there was no rise in aggressive, anti-social behaviour, however, a small increase in prosocial behaviour was recorded.
Conclusion: Not everyone imitates the behaviours they observe in the media, especially anti-social behaviours.
Evaluative points for the St. Helena study. (3 neg) (3 pos)
Positive: 1. Shows that findings from one study can’t be generalised worldwide.
- Field experiment used- increase ecological validity
- Real life- high in mundane realism
Negative: 1. St. Helena- can’t be generalised- lowers external validity
- Peer + teacher comments- bias
- There might have not been an interest in TV- lowers internal validity
How does cognitive priming explain how media influences anti-social behaviour?
Cognitive priming suggests that when people watch aggressive acts in the media, they store scripts in their memories (schema’s) to use at a later date. They are now ‘primed’ to act aggressively in similar situations.
Study to support cognitive priming theory. (1)
Josephson’s hockey players
Participants involved in Josephson’s hockey players study. (1)
Hockey players
Procedure of Josephson’s hockey players study. (3)
- Lab experiment
- All players were deliberately frustrated
- They were shown either an aggressive or non-aggressive movie, where the character held a walkie-talkie
Finding of Josephson’s hockey players study. (1)
When playing a game of hockey, where the referee was holding a walkie-talkie, those players who watched the aggressive movie did, in fact, act more aggressively.
Evaluative points for Josephson’s hockey players study. (2)
- Hockey players- can’t be generalised- lacks external validity
- Demand characteristics- may have acted in the way they believed they was supposed to act to please the experimenter- lowers internal validity.
How does desensitisation explain how media influences anti-social behaviour?
Desensitisation suggests that the more violence a child watches the more desensitised they become and, therefore, the more likely they are to act violently.
What study criticises the desensitisation theory? (1)
Belson’s teenage boys
Participants involved in Belson’s study? (1)
- 1500 teenage boys
Date of Belson’s teenage boys study? (1)
- 1978
Findings of Belson’s teenage boy study? (1)
- No evidence that high exposure to TV violence would desensitise the boys into acting more violent.
Conclusion of Belson’s teenage boys study?
Exposure to TV violence has no affect on the likeliness of someone acting violent through being desensitised.
Evaluative points of Belson’s teenage boy study. (3 neg) (1 pos)
N1. Only used teenage boys- can’t be generalised
N2. Unethical- potentially could have caused harm
N3. Outdated (1978)- TV has changed- can’t be generalised
P1. Large sample size- increase generalisability
Desensitisation- what are the differences between genders?
Large scale studies have found greater desensitisation effects in males than in female.
Using violent TV to justify a child’s behaviour.
Violence on TV may be used to justify a child’s bad behaviour, relieving their guild, leading them to potentially act violently themselves. This especially happens when the person committing the violent act on TV does not get punished (superheroes).
Singer et al.- cathartic effect- findings (1)
- Singer et al found that violence on TV has a cathartic effect and makes the viewer less likely to be violent.
Overall evaluation of the studies regarding media influence of anti social behaviour (4)
- Gender bias- mainly used boys
- Unethical- often studies do not fully protect participants from harm
- Age bias- studies mainly used children or young teens
- Results are correlational- no cause and effect distinguished
Explanations of how media influences pro-social behaviour. (2)
- Social learning theory- people observe and imitate the behaviours they see in the media
- Parental mediation- parents explain what’s right and wrong
Support for social learning theory (pro-social). (1)
Poulo’s Lassie Study
Participants in Poulo’s Lassie Experiement. (1)
- Children
Procedure of Poulo’s Lassie Study. (2)
- Independent groups design
- Both groups were shown an episode of Lassie. One group was shown a scene where the dog is helped. The other group were shown a scene where the dog is played with.
Findings of Poulo’s Lassie Study. (1)
- Those who watched the scene where the dog was helped were subsequently more likely to help puppies in distress, compared to those who watched the other scene.
Evaluative points for Poulo’s Lassie Study. (3 neg)
- Independent groups design- individual differences were not taken into consideration- lowers internal validity
- Lab experiment- demand characteristics- lowers internal validity
- Only uses children- can’t be generalised- lowers external validity
What do studies show about imitation of behaviours? (Age + findings)
Piaget found that children under the age of 11 can only copy behaviours exactly(concrete steps), so they won’t use a certain behaviour if it doesn’t match the situation perfectly.
Overall evaluation of SLT for pro social behaviour. (2 neg)
- Studies have shown that media has less of an effect than exposure to real life models, so studies lack external validity.
- There’s a lack of research into the effects of media on different age groups- studies lack generalisability
What is parental mediation and how are pro-social behaviours most likely to be imitated? (2)
- For most children the effects of TV are mediated by a parent (co-viewer) who discusses ambiguous or disturbing messages and behaviours.
- Pro-social behaviours are most likely to be imitated when a parent discusses how the messages and behaviours are important.
Name the study that supports parental mediation. (1)
- Johnson & Ettema’s freestyles study