Effects of Realistic TV Violence vs. Fictional Violence on Aggression

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study by Atkin was to examine the effects of television violence, both realistic and fictional, upon aggressive behavior in youth. METHODOLOGY: The author employed an experimental cross-sectional design, with a non-probability sample of 98 boys and girls in the fifth and sixth grades in an elementary school in Michigan. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group viewed a television stimulus tape containing a typical fight scene presented in a news format, the second viewed the same scene as part of a promotion for a Hollywood film, and the third viewed a commercial for an ordinary product. The manipulation was designed to measure the effect of perceived reality of violence upon levels of aggression. After viewing the appropriate film, each subject within the three groups completed a questionnaire containing items concerning reactions to the stimulus, aggressiveness and background variables. The dependent variable, hypothetical situational aggressiveness, was measured via use of a self-report hierarchical response scale. Subjects responded to eight items regarding the individual's willingness to respond aggressively in various frustrating hypothetical situations. Choices of response included: physical aggression (shoving, fighting, hitting, punching or kicking), verbal aggression (yelling or screaming), or nonaggressive response (ignoring, talking, backing out of a fight). The 6-item general behavioral aggression index was also used to measure inclinations of the subjects to aggressive responses. The two treatment groups were also questioned about their attention to and liking of the fight scene, as well as the perceived reality of the fight. Analysis included ANOVA and t-tests, correlations and examination of frequencies. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The author found that both the treatment groups exhibited higher levels of hypothetical situational aggression than did the control group, with the realistic news group having higher levels of aggression than the fantasy film subjects. This result also held for the general aggression measure. More than twice as many subjects in the reality group (70%) as in the fantasy group (32%) paid a lot of attention to the scene, although no significant difference was found between the two groups in how much subjects liked to see the men fight. A significant difference was found, however, in how real the fight seemed - 46% of the reality subjects and 20% of the fantasy group said that the fight looked very real. Aggressiveness was found to be positively correlated with all three of these variables - perceived reality (0.28), liking for the action (0.24) and attention (0.16). Subjects in the reality condition who perceived the violence as very real had higher aggression scores than those rating the reality as moderate or low, and those who liked the action also scored higher on hypothetical situational aggression than subjects who did not like viewing the violence. The author suggested that these intervening variables act to facilitate the impact of viewing television violence - violence that is presented in a news format leads to an increase in the perceived reality of the incident, which in turn leads to an increase in levels of aggression. AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS: The author stressed the point that there is a large potential for young viewers to be exposed to high levels of violence in news reports on television. Despite this potential, research and concern has primarily been centered upon prime-time and cartoon violence. More attention should be paid to the influence of violent news reports upon aggression and violence in youngsters. The author also suggested that future research should examine which content features of television violence and what type of viewer attributes can lead to the increased perception of reality. As well as these questions, research should also investigate which psychological responses act to direct perceptions into aggressive behavior. The effects of perceived similarity of realistic violence to the viewer's environment should also be studied, to provide a more thorough understanding of the effects of realistic television viewing upon aggressive behavior. Both aspects of realistic violence, its realism and its similarity, could also be applied to other television content, such as social roles or sexual behavior, that might have a significant influence upon the audience via the process of modelling. EVALUATION: The author presents an interesting and informative study about the effects of television violence upon a young audience. The use of an experimental design greatly increases the generalizability of the results, as well as allowing for reader confidence in the accuracy of the findings. Although the measures could have been more detailed and more thorough, including a greater number of items and more attention to demographic data, the author provides an excellent discussion of the implications of his findings for further research and for future policy planning. This study provides an excellent basis for continued research in the field, and also acts as a valuable addition to studies concerning the impact of television violence. (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 - Michigan KW - Exposure to Violence KW - Cartoons KW - Media Violence Reality KW - Aggression Causes KW - Child Aggression KW - Late Childhood KW - Grade 5 KW - Grade 6 KW - Elementary School Student KW - Media Violence Effects KW - Television Viewing KW - Television Violence Language: en