ViolenceAntiSocial Effects Social Cognitive Theory Social Learning Theory

Violence/Anti-Social Effects: Social Cognitive Theory (Social Learning Theory), Copycat Effect, Desensitization, Priming, and even Catharsis COM 226, Summer 2011 PPT #7 Includes chapters 16 & 20 of De. Fleur textbook

Four Major Claims about Media Violence Pt. #1 -- There is a LOT of violence in the media. Pt. #2 -- Exposure increases risk of harm. Pt. #3 -- Not all portrayals pose same degree of risk. Pt. #4 -- Not all viewers are similarly impacted.

Four Major Claims about Media Violence Pt. #1 -- There is a LOT of violence in the media. n n Established through content analyses. National Television Violence Study (NTVS): 61% of TV shows contain violence. Pt. #2 -- Exposure increases risk of harm. Pt. #3 -- Not all portrayals pose same degree of risk. Pt. #4 -- Not all viewers are similarly impacted.

Four Major Claims about Media Violence Pt. #1 -- There is a LOT of violence in the media. Pt. #2 -- Exposure increases risk of harm. Pt. #3 -- Not all portrayals pose same degree of risk. Pt. #4 -- Not all viewers are similarly impacted.

Pt. #2: Theories of Media Violence— Does it affect viewer aggression? Four primary explanations: n n n A) No effects (Klapper, 1960 -on) B) Catharsis Theory (Feshbach, 1960 s) C) Social Cognitive/Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1950 s-on) Including Copycat Effect, Desensitization, Cultivation n D) Priming (Berkowitz, 1960 s)

A) No Effects Perspective Really, the only person who found substantial support for this was Joseph Klapper, who maintained that television only reinforces attitudes and behaviors that already existed (1960 -on)

B) Catharsis Theory From Aristotle, Feshbach (1960 s). Says exposure to TV violence stimulates fantasy aggression, defusing aggressive impulses, thereby decreasing aggression in viewers. Empirical evidence? n NO—evidence does NOT support catharsis! (at least with media and violence) Under what conditions might catharsis occur? n n individual differences (i. e. , occurs for some, under some circumstances)? video game violence?

C) Social Cognitive Theory From Albert Bandura (1960 s) First called Social Learning Theory Says children and others learn through observation May imitate what they see vicariously (e. g. , on television) Empirical evidence: Bobo doll studies, others— generally support basic premise plus additional assumptions, e. g. , n n Rewarded and unpunished violence more likely to be imitated. Punished violence less likely to be imitated.

Bobo Doll Studies

Bobo Doll Studies—thoughts? ?

More on Social Cognitive Theory ALSO SEE NOTES from Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory: An Introduction (video) for more details!

Social Cognitive Theory: The Triadic Model summary The Triadic Model within theory suggests that learning of behaviors is governed by three bi-directionally linked systems: n n n Personal determinants Behavioral determinants Environmental determinants Personal examples? ? ?

Social Cognitive Theory: Observational Learning summary Attention Retention/Symbolic representation Reproduction/Transformation to action Motivation to reproduce behavior n n n External incentives Vicarious incentives Self incentives Observer attributes (internal standards, social comparison) EXAMPLES OF THESE INCENTIVES? ? ?

Therefore social cognitive theory… Sees learning as being a largely cognitive process And behavior is only the very end state Watch Primetime Violence video for a review of the concerns of the 1990 s and what we knew about violence effects by that point

The Copycat Effect? Some researchers have identified simple imitative effects, without specifying the cognitive or other mechanisms at work (e. g. , Loren Coleman’s book on The Copycat Effect) “Suicide clusters” have appeared since ancient times n n The writer/historian Plutarch’s account of the imitative hangings of young women in Miletus in the 4 th century BCE. . . News spread through word of mouth and songs of poets Romans, Vikings, early Christians, Jews of the Middle Ages, modern teens have been the focus of study

The Copycat Effect? Other copycat violence has included: n n Murders (e. g. , Jack the Ripper, covered by newspapers) Murder/suicides (e. g. , “going postal, ” school shootings) The role of mass media has increased over time

The Copycat Effect? Sociologist David P. Phillips has devoted his career to the study of societal trends in violent and hazardous activities, including how media-covered events can result in imitation, using “archival” survey-type data: n n n First to conduct empirical studies to confirm the “Werther Effect” (from Goethe’s 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther) 1962—Death of Marilyn Monroe. . . U. S. suicide rate increase 12% in following month 1973—Airline hijackings 1979—Found increase in rate of automobile fatalities following publicized suicides. . . Also sig. by geographic region and age cohort 1983—Impact of U. S. TV network coverage of championship boxing matches on homicide rates

The Copycat Effect? Sociologist Steven Stack has also examined imitative effects n 1977 suicide of actor Freddie Prinze produced higher suicide rates among individuals of similar age (22), ethnicity, gender Importantly, some of these studies have identified an impact of non-news, fictional content: n n Phillips (1982) identified increase in auto fatalities after soap opera suicides Phillips & Paight (1987) found increase in suicides after TV movies about suicide

Desensitization Bandura sees this as part of Social Cognitive Theory Others have studied it separately, e. g. , De. Fleur’s Creeping Cycle of Desensitization (textbook): n n n All media, news or entertainment, have a profit motive Attractive media products emphasize the controversial—sex, violence, vulgarity In the U. S. , there are few legal restraints on this; rather, cultural norms define what is tolerable Young audiences rule! Thus, the “cutting edge” must become more extreme, more sensational [We can assume that people become accustomed (i. e. , desensitized) to this “extreme” violence, sex, etc. ]

Cultivation? Although George Gerbner coined the term “Cultivation Theory” (recall—Gerbner’s “Mean World Syndrome”), such cognitive or perceptual effects were named as part of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Remember that Bandura noted that TV violence “shapes viewers’ images of reality”

D) Priming Theory From Berkowitz and colleagues (late 60 s) Understood in terms of cognitive associations (recall— cognitive schema) Says violent content “primes” related thoughts, placing hostile cognitions at the forefront of the mind. Empirical evidence generally supports theory, e. g. , n n n Anderson & Ford (1987)—experiment linked video game violence to hostility and anxiety Bushman & Geen (1990)—experiment in which those who viewed a more violent movie listed more aggressive thoughts Bushman (1998)—experiment finding video violence related to aggressive word choice

Pt. #2: In summary, then: Does media violence affect viewers? Answer: YES! Surveys, experiments, longitudinal field studies, and meta analyses all point to a TV violence aggression link. Overall effect size larger than: n n Condom use and HIV (-. 18) Passive smoking and lung cancer (. 16)

Four Major Claims about Media Violence Pt. #1 -- There is a LOT of violence in the media. Pt. #2 -- Exposure increases risk of harm. Pt. #3 -- Not all portrayals pose same degree of risk. Pt. #4 -- Not all viewers are similarly impacted.

Pt. #3: Aggressive responses are MORE likely to occur when violence is: Realistic. Sanitized. Justified. Committed by attractive or similar others. Rewarded. Humorous.

Realistic Violence (vs. fantasy) . vs ? ? ?

Sanitized Violence (vs. consequences) . vs

Justified Violence (vs. unjustified). vs

Rewarded Violence (vs. punished) . vs

Committed by Attractive or Similar Others

Humorous violence

Four Major Claims about Media Violence Pt. #1 -- There is a LOT of violence in the media. Pt. #2 -- Exposure increases risk of harm. Pt. #3 -- Not all portrayals pose same degree of risk. Pt. #4 -- Not all viewers are similarly impacted.

Pt. #4: “High-risk” media violence consumers include… 1. Younger/less cognitively developed individuals 2. Those with certain traits/personality predispositions n Trait aggression n Irritability n Psychoticism 3. Those with social or emotional problems n Bullies and Victims n Lack of parental influence 4. Those who consume a lot of media 5. Those without alternative models