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The Effect Of Viewing Television Violence On Childhood Aggression
| Term Paper Title |
The Effect Of Viewing Television Violence On Childhood Aggression |
| # of Words |
2061 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) |
8.24 |
The Effect of Viewing Television Violence on Childhood Aggression
The Effect of Viewing Television Violence on Childhood Aggression
Abstract
There is a great deal of speculation on the effect television plays in childhood
aggression. Two contrasting views regarding this issue are violent television
increases aggressive behavior and violent television does not increase
aggressive behavior. Later research demonstrates there may be other intervening
variables causing aggression. These include IQ, social class, parental
punishment, parental aggression, hereditary, environmental, and modeling. With
all of these factors to take into consideration it is difficult to determine a
causal relationship between violent television and aggression. It is my
hypothesis this relationship is bi-directional. I feel violent television
causes aggressive behavior and aggressive people tend to watch more violent
television.
Over the years there has been a large amount of research published, many with
conflicting results, to the question of a causal link existing between the
viewing of televised violence and childhood aggression. It is an important
question because if violent television is linked to childhood aggression we need
to adapt our television shows accordingly.
Early 1960's Research
There is earlier research, but the first association between violent television
and aggression was in the early 1960's when Albert Bandura began researching his
modeling theory. His series of experiments first set the precedent for a
relationship between violent television viewing and aggression. He felt
children would model or imitate adult behavior. In one study he subjected
children to both aggressive and non- aggressive adult models and then tested
them for imitative behavior in the presence of the model. His theory was
demonstrated when children readily imitated behavior exhibited by an adult model
in the presence of the model (Bandura, Ross & Ross, 1961). In a similar
experiment children were exposed to aggressive and non-aggressive adult models,
but then tested for amount of imitative learning in the absence of the model.
Subjects in the aggression condition reproduced a good deal of physical and
verbal aggressive behavior resembling that of the models. The data clearly
confirmed the prediction that exposure of subjects to aggressive models
increases the probability of aggressive behavior (Bandura et al. 1961). Another
study sought to determine the extent to which f
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