|
Abstract
|
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this study by Thomas and Drabman was to examine children's reactions to aggressive television programming and their expectations of how other children would react.
METHODOLOGY:
An experimental methodology was used for this study. 88 elementary school children were selected from a predominantly white, middle class, parochial school for this study. 37 (20 male and 17 female; mean age 100.8 months) third graders and 51 (31 male and 20 female; mean age 124.8 months) fifth graders were selected for the study. The children were assigned to mixed gender groups of 3 or 4 and randomly assigned to aggressive (experimental) or non aggressive films. Perception of normative and morally correct behavior in conflict situations was assessed using a response hierarchy questionnaire. The items described situations that were similar to those children might experience in their own lives. Following each situation, all possible combinations of the 4 alternative responses (physical aggression, verbal aggression, leaving the field, or positive coping) were presented using a paired comparison technique; there were 6 pairs for each situation. The experimental group watched a 15 minute edited excerpt from a violent television detective series while the control group watched 15 minutes of a neutral series. Afterward, the children were asked how they thought other children would behave in certain situations in response to stick figure drawings and verbal descriptions of the situations. The process was repeated with the children being asked what they thought the right thing to do would be. The number of times physical or verbal aggression was chosen were summed for each item. On any item, scores could range from 1 (aggression chosen only when the two aggressive responses were pitted against one another) to 5 (aggression chosen in every instance it was presented). Thus, a subject's score for each administration was simply the sum of the scores across the nine items. ANOVA was used to analyze the data.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The children demonstrated an ability to distinguish between normative and correct behavior with the frequency of aggressive choices being markedly lower for morally correct responses than for predictions of normative behavior. Subjects who had seen the aggressive television program significantly more frequently predicted that other children would react aggressively to conflict than did subjects in the control group (p<.01). Fifth grade children regarded others as more likely to respond aggressively than did third graders (p<.05). After log transformation of assessment of correctness of aggressive behavior, ANOVA interaction analyses were conducted. The main effect of gender was significant with males more frequently viewing aggressive reactions as correct than females.
EVALUATION:
This experiment further explores the relationship between television aggression and the attitudes of those watching it. The experimental method used in this study provides the usual benefits of experimental methodóisolation of the dependent variable and careful measurementóbut includes its weaknesses as well. The weaknesses it presents in this study are 1) artificiality of the method itself and 2) a select population from which it would be hard to generalize. The latter point is one made by the authors themselves who point out that the findings might be different with a group of students not in such a pro-social climate as a white, parochial, middle class school. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Child Perceptions
KW - Child Aggression
KW - Elementary School Student
KW - Grade 3
KW - Grade 5
KW - Middle Childhood
KW - Late Childhood
KW - Television Viewing
KW - Television Violence
KW - Media Violence Effects
KW - Aggression Causes
KW - Aggression Perceptions
KW - Violence Perceptions |