What is the main question in the media-violence debate?
Does media violence cause real-life violence or simply reflect our violent society?
What are the two sides of the media-violence debate?
- Media causes aggression (effects theory). 2. Media reflects societal violence (reflection theory).
What does the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulate in New Zealand?
The ASA regulates advertising content
What is Rule 1(f) under the ASA codes?
Advertisements must not
What is the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA)?
A Crown agency funded by both the government and broadcasters to oversee broadcasting standards
What is the classification system for NZ broadcasting?
G = General
How can a formal complaint be made to the BSA?
By submitting details of the programme
What percentage of media contains violence according to statistics?
Approximately 90 % of movies
How many acts of violence does an average hour of TV contain?
Around 6–8 acts of violence per hour.
By the end of primary school
how much violence have children seen in the media?
Why is violence attractive for media producers?
It is easy to produce
What are the consequences of constant exposure to media violence for children?
They grow up seeing violence as “natural” and may become desensitised.
What are the three main types of research into media violence?
A: Case Studies B: Experimental Studies C: Correlational Studies.
What is the limitation of correlational studies on media violence?
They cannot prove causation; they face the “chicken-egg” problem and confounding factors like parenting and socioeconomic status.
What was Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment about?
It demonstrated that children imitate aggressive behaviour they observe in adults or media.
What did the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study find?
Children who watched more TV were more likely to show antisocial and criminal behaviour as adults
By how much did the risk of criminal conviction increase with every hour of TV watched?
By about 30 % per extra hour of TV per weekday evening.
How does Gerbner’s Mean World Syndrome explain media-violence effects?
People who watch more violence believe the world is more dangerous and become less sensitive to aggression.
According to Young & Smith (1999)
when do role models have more influence?
What are the BSA’s violence codes (4a–4d)?
4a Violence must be justified by context 4b Mindful of cumulative effects 4c Avoid content inciting violence 4d Violent content in news must be justified by public interest.
What are the “effects” of media violence besides aggression?
Reduced sensitivity
What is the main challenge in defining violence in media research?
Definitions vary — it includes any image or action of force or threat
What is the main public-policy implication of media-violence research?
Governments may increase regulation
Why is sport important in the media-violence debate?
Because sport normalises physical aggression
