TV VIOLENCE & CHILDREN.   Term Paper ID:28310 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses research studies on how TV violence effects different ages differently; risk factors; relationship to aggression.... More...

10 Pages / 2250 Words 15 sources, 33 Citations, APA Format $40.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Discusses research studies on how TV violence effects different ages differently; risk factors; relationship to aggression. Paper Introduction: TV VIOLENCE & CHILDREN AT DIFFERENT AGES Introduction Research studies report that television and the media are one of the most important influences on children and adolescents. Television effects many aspects of health and behavior, a matter of particular concern is the effect of TV violence on children. Cross-sectional studies, naturalistic studies, longitudinal studies, and meta-analyses all demonstrate a cause and effect relationship has been found between media violence and real-life aggression. The Surgeon General's Report (1972) and the National Institute of Mental Health (1982) also confirmed these findings. The effect size for media violence is computed to be 5% to 15%. With this confirmation of detrimental effect, research focuses more on the factors involved (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999, p. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Teachers rated theiraggressive behavior as well. TV Effects at Different Ages TV violence has been found by some to effect children differently atdifferent ages. Hughes, J. (1999).Contributors to violent behavior among elementary and middle schoolchildren. (1995). This media is found to include the portrayal of justifiedviolence and an acceptance of aggressive attitudes (Aidman, 1997; Hepburn;Stasburger & Donnerstein, 1999, p. Foundonline at: Murray, J. The problem of indexing risk of viewingtelevision aggression. (1997). Previous research findings are not consistent regarding specific effectsfor different ages. T.V. N. Reducing the aggression-promoting effect of violent cartoons by increasing children's fictionalinvolvement with the victim: a study of active mediation. (1999). A. Potter concludes that these findings have failed to lead to changes,since they do not provide specific information for policymakers or thepublic. These and other theories have led to empirical research and the conclusionthat viewing of TV violence does lead to disinhibition regarding violence,and this effect is pronounced when particular characteristics are portrayed(Potter, 1997, p. Current Rates of TV Violence The Parents Television council recently reported results of theirstudy which found that sex, violence, and bad language on TV has increasedby 31% (Albiniak, 1999, p. These types of crimes have led to protestsagainst TV violence, but whether they are actually effects for this agegroup, currently remains uncertain (UCLA, 1997). 8). It has also beendemonstrated that effects increase for boys and decrease for girls duringadolescence (Josephson, p. A medium's effects underscrutiny. (1997). The assessment of risk is unclear as is the definition of violenceand the frequency of violence. E. (1999). G., & Robinson, T. With this confirmation ofdetrimental effect, research focuses more on the factors involved(Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999, p. Although the ability to understand TV is increased,this tendency is not always employed, children of these ages processinformation uncritically. The useof guns was found in 26% of the violent interactions (Hepburn; Stasburger &Donnerstein, 1999, p. violence! J. By age eight, children are shown to be moreviolent after watching violence that reflects real life and by age ten, TVis interpreted as what is possible in real life, such as bravery andstrength (Chandler; Josephson, pp. Smith, M. Other studies state that young people are found to average 16 to 17hours of TV viewing each week, beginning at ages as early as two years, andthey view 1 , violent acts per year. Adolescents, ages 12 to 17, are reported to watch less TV thanyounger children and they watch different types of programs, with fewercartoons, and more adult shows such as The Simpsons or Beverly Hills 9 21 . Methods for collection of this data include questionnaires andinterviews of parents and children, television logs, electronic monitors,and observations such as video research. Potter, W. Adolescents are capable of abstract reasoning and tend to developmore than one meaning of what is real, including that which is likely orpossible. 19-23). Cross-sectional studies, naturalisticstudies, longitudinal studies, and meta-analyses all demonstrate a causeand effect relationship has been found between media violence and real-lifeaggression. The Surgeon General's Report (1972) and the National Instituteof Mental Health (1982) also confirmed these findings. L. Children who preferredto watch violent programs were rated by their peers and teachers to be moreaggressive (Murray, 1995, p. Watching violence is found to contribute to the adolescents'feelings that the world is a frightening or unkind place, however, it isalso found that this age group may tend to have these feelings ofvulnerability whether they view violent contact or not (Chandler;Josephson, pp. Media Awareness Network. Borzekowski, D. The UCLA television violence report 1997. Follow-up evaluations were conducted on the same group at age 18 andagain at age 3 . Causes of violence in children. Some researchers state that this viewing is harmless becausechildren understand it is fantasy, others show that it leads to aggressivebehavior. Instead, studies should investigate resulting perceptions andattitudes regarding violence, such as the perception that the world is amore violent place than it actually is (UCLA, 1997). High excitementlevels in TV viewing, violent or not, results in aggressive behavior(Josephson, pp. Children maybecome desensitized to violence and view the world as a frightening placethat demands physical violence for conflict resolution. Around 75% of the violence demonstrated nopunishment for the perpetrators. (1993). The effect size formedia violence is computed to be 5% to 15%. 5). 18). Children's understanding of what is real ontelevision: A review of the literature. Research shows this age group are able to learn verbal and non-verbalbehaviors from TV and imitate what they have seen. Many believe it is incorrect to focus on the notion that mediaviolence directly results in committing social violence, for this or anyage group. 878; Smith). I., & Cantor, J. 13 -134). Around 8 % watch horror movies or other frighteningmaterial, and violent pornography is frequently viewed; the adolescents'concerns regarding sex, romance, and sex roles may lead toward thesetendencies. Violence is not clearly defined, it could mean physical or verbalviolence, with or without physical, psychological, or emotional harm.Effects regarding frequency of violence imitated need to include moreinformation as well. They are in active search for meaning and this includes the TVcontent. Some elements in the portrayals of violence are considered to behigher risk for children. It is estimated that a child views 8, murders by the time theyleave elementary school, from watching two to fours hours of TV daily. Borzekowski and Robinson (1999) report on the measures involved fordetermining children's television viewing and resulting effects of TVviolence. 5). In addition, the authors statedthat no social desirability reporting bias was found, neither patents orchildren tended to under report TV viewing amounts (Borzekowski & Robinson,pp. References Aidman, A. 129-13 ). Otherstudies, have shown that the relationship between TV violence andaggression is more pronounced in children (Nathanson & Cantol, 2 , p.125). UCLA. Age three and under demonstrate little ability todistinguish between TV and reality, by age four they tend to understandthat TV is not real (Chandler, 1997). (1996). C., & Donnerstein, E. 13 -134). Social Education, 61(5), 244-249. Pediatrics, 1 3(1), 129-139. TV violence has detrimental emotional effects as well. (2 ). They are more able to represent objects or actionsinternally and extract meaning from TV content. 5 6-516). 228-229). (1997). Children and television violence. Theories regarding effects of TV violence are also evaluated. 5). 139). Theadditional tendency to defy authority at this age makes adolescents moresusceptible toward identification with aggression. Theseinclude disinhibition theories which include priming effects theory, sociallearning theory, excitation transfer theory, and social development theory. This age group is predisposed to pay attention to TV violence sinceit involves loud sounds and rapid movement; visual displays of violencemakes it likely that the preschooler will learn the content. Found online at: Hepburn, M. This study evaluated thesemethods and found that mothers tended to estimate TV viewing moreaccurately than their children, and children's perceptions of behaviors andactions during viewing were more accurate. Hypothesis The viewing of TV violence will have significantly different effectson children of different ages. They may establish TVviewing patterns which expose them to TV violence for the rest of theirchildhood (Josephson, pp. At six-months, infants can direct their attentionto the TV and remain attentive for up to 16 minutes. TV VIOLENCE & CHILDREN AT DIFFERENT AGES Introduction Research studies report that television and the media are one of themost important influences on children and adolescents. Senator targets broadcast licenses.Broadcasting & Cable, 129(23), 18. Of the violent acts found in 1995-6, 4 % were done byattractive perpetrators. Thedifferent findings concerning effects of TV violence for different ages,will be looked at in this review. ERIC Digest. Whether futureresearch focuses on perceptions of violence or actual aggression, presentlyit appears that most findings support the notion that TV violence does haveeffects on children that are particular for different age groups. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 14(3), 228-248. 19-23). 5 6-516). Forexample, the show was described as real since it had blood, police, andhandcuffing (Josephson, pp. The link found between TV violence at age eight and aggressivebehavior at 18 was stronger than that between TV violence viewing at ageeight and aggressive behavior at the same age (UCLA, 1997, p. Still other studies have found that it is the loudness and rapidmovement that attracts children rather than the violence. TV Violence Effects TV violence has more than one effect on children's behaviors. The relationship between TV violence and aggression has been found inchildren beginning at age three, and an even more consistent effect hasbeen found for children in middle childhood. Research shows that exposure to media violence results in tendenciesto view the world as a more frightening place. Journalof Mental Health, 6(5), 433-442.----------------------- 1 Forexample they may imitate the violence, or it may simply reduce theirinhibitions against aggressive behavior, or trigger an impulsive aggressiveact. Average hours of TV viewing are around 5 per week, with 23 hours per week of average viewing time for children agestwo to 11, and 21.5 hours per week by adolescents (Hepburn, 1997, p. This age group may have the ability to know what is real, butthey may not use this ability. They are alsoparticularly drawn to cartoons which are found to be more violent thanprime time programming (25 violent acts per hour compared to five perhour). Another concern forthis age group is their ability to actually commit the violent physicalacts that are viewed (Chandler; Josephson, pp. For example, it has been shown that one exposure toTV violence may result in immediate effects, however, it is not clear howlong the exposure needs to be, or how much violence needs to be viewed, orwhat the effect is of multiple exposures (pp. In a study of nursery school children, violent cartoons, neutralfilms, and prosocial films were viewed for 12 days over a four week period. Forexample socio-economic deprivation at age eight is shown to be a primarypredictor of later delinquency. (1997). 245). Television violence and behavior: A researchsummary. Not only was a relationship found between TV viewing ofviolence at age eight and aggression at age 18, but this group was alsoassociated with higher arrests and convictions for violent interpersonalcrimes, including spousal and child abuse, assault, and murder (Murray,1995, p. Television violence: Implications forviolence prevention. Many factors may influence the effect of TV violence, includingdifferences among the child, and the context in which they watch TV(Josephson, p. The argumentwas that watching TV violence, over a period of time, resulted in thisbehavior. A study of children,including eight year olds and twelve year olds found that both age groupsused violence dimensions as a criterion for the reality of a TV show. Support for thecatharsis hypothesis, that states viewing TV violence helps ventdestructive impulses through fantasy, has not been provided by empiricalresearch findings (Josephson, p. By age three, childrentend to watch around two hours of TV per day and have their favorite shows. Chandler, D. Children of these ages are able touse thought and mental imagery and organize expectations about a sequenceof events. The perpetrators demonstrated a lack ofremorse and over half of the incidents did not reveal the victim'ssuffering. L. L. A child who is a vulnerable viewer is moresusceptible to the effects of viewed TV violence (Withecomb, 1997, pp. 6-8). It is estimated that 99% of all Americanhouseholds have at least one TV. The School Psychology Review, 25(2), 134-151. For example,elementary school children are reported to watch two to three hours of TVeach day, and they are also reported to watch from 5 to 69 hours per week(pp. Found online at: Albiniak, P. UCLA.Found online at: Withecomb, J. The National Television Violencestudy looked at 1 , hours of TV over a three year period and found that61% was violent, and children's programming was the most violent. They can divide characters into good or bad or scary (Josephson,pp. Attractive perpetrators are a risk, as areminimal consequences for the victim or justified violence withoutpunishment. The amount of TV watched, including nonviolent TV withhigh arousal levels, identification with TV personalities, belief in TV asbeing real, low intellectual achievement, and lack of parental monitoringare all predictors of TV violence leading to aggression (Singer, Miller,Guo, Flannery, 1999, p. J. Viewing theviewers: Ten video cases of children's television viewing behaviors.Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 43(4), 5 6-528. B., Guo, S., Flannery, D. Those who were initially aggressive,remained so after viewing violence, and they decreased this tendency afterviewing the neutral film (Hughes, 1996, p. Children ages six to 11 watch less TV as they go to school, and thenmore as they are able to stay up later. Pediatrics, 1 4(4), 878-884. 228). By age six they developexpectations for the structure of stories and they are better at processingstory information. Some infants canimitate TV behavior, however it must be simple and instructional in nature,and this does not characterize TV violence. The youth, rather than the TV, was held accountable and he wascharged with murder. Some researchers find no particular effects associatedwith different age groups, however, many have reported otherwise. (1997). 8-9). ERIC Digest. For example, it is not clear whether theviewing of TV violence merely poses a risk toward less serious forms ofviolence, as opposed to more serious violence such as aggravated assault ormurder. 9-13). KansasJournal of Law & Public Policy, 4(3), 7-14. Ages three to five bring tendencies for high degrees of focus on thephysically obvious. Beginning with the infant, no research has focused on theeffects of TV violence. Research has concludedthat there is a sensitive period for children between the ages of eight and12, where they are particularly susceptible to TV violence (Smith, 1993). In the 197 s a 15 year old was charged with murder and his attorneyused what was called "television intoxication" for a defense. TVviolence is increasing. An interaction between TV condition andinitial aggression levels was found. Television violence: A review of theeffects on children of different ages. Some studies have indicated that all effects are found on children,adolescents, and adults, with none specific to a particular age. Journal ofBroadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(1), 125-142. (1995). Television violence: content, context, andconsequences. A ten-year longitudinal study was conducted, which established thatan eight-year-old boy would be influenced by TV violence at age eight andat age 18. Josephson, W. N. By one year of age, the childdoes copy visual activities like hand-clapping, and TV violence doesinclude this feature. Children,adolescents, and the media: Issues and solutions. Previous study findings have reported variations in amounts ofTV watched and how it is watched (eyes on the screen or not). 5). Television effectsmany aspects of health and behavior, a matter of particular concern is theeffect of TV violence on children. Research Question Are there distinct effects of viewing TV violence on children ofdifferent ages? Evidence showed that age eight is a particularly vulnerable age. 31-33). I., Miller, D. (1997). By the age two and a half, children are able to pay attention up tofour times as much as younger children, which is around half of the timethe TV is on. 433-434). Nathanson, A. (1999). P. War cartoons have increased from 1.5 hours a week(1982) to 43 hours a week (1986) (Smith, 1993). It is concluded that parents may need to limit theinfants' exposure to actions that might be dangerous to imitate, but beyondthat, effects are not detrimental (Josephson, pp. During that same time period, a group of youths beata woman to death and burned the body in a vacant lot, blaming the crime onthe viewing of TV violence. 5). One of these factors is the age of the child viewing the TV violence. 8). Singer, M. The children reported their TV viewing habitsand they rated aggression in other children. 31-33). 9-13). Aggressive behavior was recorded. They are less likely to believe in TV oridentify with characters, however those who do continue to identify withaggressive themes, are the most likely to copy this aggression. Found online at:http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed366329.html> Strasburger, V. A meta-study which included analysis of 3 studies, reported thatpreschoolers demonstrate more physical aggression due to TV violenceviewing, than do children up to 1 years of age. In a longitudinal study, Leonard Eron, studied third graders (ageeight), beginning in 1963. Soap operas and sports, music programs, and science fiction are alsolisted as favorites. TV viewing further takes the place of nonviolent interacting withother children or adults (Josephson, 1995, p. Early adulthood aggression isrelated to violence viewed in middle childhood. Home factors were also considered, such asparent's discipline techniques and family values. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.