Media Violence And Childhood Aggression Analysis

Media violence and childhood aggression Entertainment media influences our lives (Anderson & Dill, 2000). A large body of research contends that a positive relationship exists between the consumption of violent media and aggressive behaviour in children (Joint Statement, 2000). Violent media has a range of channels, such as film, television programmes, video games, online content and other interactive forms (Gentile, Linder & Walsh, 2003). The increasing presence, use and accessibility of media are believed to play a significant role in childhood development (Wilson, 2008). This assertion is aligned with the theories of observational learning, in particular modelling. Another view adds to the understanding of this phenomenon, by contending …show more content…
However, according to the principles of operant learning, behaviour is regulated by its consequences, via reinforcement or punishment (Chance, 2014). Accordingly, in order for violent behaviour to recur, it must be reinforced. It is proposed that while violent media is an easily accessible stimulus for violence, it is the social consequences received by the child (either vicariously or directly) which mediate the relationship between observed media violence and aggression. For example, an experiment by Miranda et al., (2009) demonstrated that children demonstrated less aggression (versus a comparable control group) after watching a violent cartoon when an adult provided a commentary which expressed disapproval of the violence shown. This demonstrates that social disapproval (i.e. a positive punishment) can reduce the performance of aggression mimicry. Similarly, another experiment found that an observer child would more likely reproduce aggressive behaviour when the actual model (a confederate child) was present, versus another unobserved child. This suggests that the actual model provides cues for aggression; therefore indicating that the observer learns with whom the behaviour is socially acceptable (O 'Carroll, O 'Neal, McDonald, and Hori, 1977, as cited in Miranda et al., 2009) and acceptance is a strong positive …show more content…
However, media is not the sole determinant of violent behaviour. The understanding of this phenomenon would not be complete without an acknowledgement of the consequences of behaviour, i.e. how violent behaviour is moderated by its punishment and reinforcement. Finally, it is important to understand these in conjunction with knowledge of the underlying variables that can also moderate the expression of aggressive behaviour. Only when the three factors are understood together, can a holistic view be taken and the effects of media violence on development be understood in