Media influences on aggression, Flashcards
Media influences on aggression, including the effects of computer games
•It is thought that exposure to aggression in video games and other media such as TV and movies promotes aggressive behaviours in the real world.
•Five psychological theories could be mentioned to support the view that repeated exposure to video game violence may lead to real life aggression:
1.Learning theory [Skinner]- The human is conditioned to think in patterns which have been pre-programmed into the machine. Basic ideas are taught in the basic levels and behavior is constantly shaped to conform to the rules of the game. Every act, every single click on the mouse, is instantly rewarded, by the computer’s response (positive reinforcement). Mistakes are instantly punished by the game ending (negative reinforcement).
2.Learning theory [Bandura]- Individuals model the aggressive acts in the game. Some characters, and some types of behavior, are more likely to be copied because they are seen as attractive and appropriate (i.e: a hero who needs to use violence to achieve a benevolent aim). There is no sense of real punishment for making mistakes – just game over and start again. This creates disinhibition, individuals unconsciously feel that if they commit aggression they will not be punished. Attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation, all factors that Bandura says increase our chance of reproducing a behaviour we have seen, are necessary to be able to succeed in a computer game, increasing the chance that we will reproduce these behaviours in real life.
3.The General Aggression Model [Anderson and Dill]- This model brings together elements of Social learning and Cognitive Priming Theory and suggests that if we live in a violent environment – such as a war zone, we will adapt to it, our thoughts, feelings and actions will be based around violence and that is how we will survive. But could over-exposure to gaming have the same effects?
+ Evidence for General Aggression Model: Meta-Analysis Findings: Anderson et al. [2004] 35 studies examined found that video game violence exposure is related to: increases in aggressive affect, cognition and behavior increases in physiological arousal; decreases in helping behavior.
- Ritterfield and Mathiak [2006] – Participants were subjected to a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan whilst playing a violent video game. It appeared to suggest that emotional areas of the cortex are to some extent “switched off” during the game, perhaps an adaptive mechanism which permits an animal to focus on survival. This is the same as happens when engaged in real acts of violence.
- However, according to the Hydraulic model of stress, aggression released as part of a computer game may provide an outlet for aggression and stress (catharsis), preventing the person from behaving aggressively in the real-world.
