What were the three trends of social science theories regarding violence in the media?
Catharsis, Social Learning, Cultivation theory
What does the Social Learning Theory state?
We adopt certain behaviors by observing symbolic representations of behavior in our daily lives. Ex: how someone might behave in a situation, what is good behavior/wrong behavior
Who came up with the Social Learning Theory?
Albert Bandura
What was the Bobo Doll experiment and how did it explicate Social Learning Theory?
Albert Bandura placed kids in a lab to view stimulus -- a "model" beating up a Bobo doll.
Then kids were placed in a room with a Bobo doll to determine whether they "modeled" the observed behavior.
What was the conclusion of the Bobo Doll experiment?
Children learn social behavior such as aggression through the process of observational learning
What does the Catharsis theory state?
Viewing TV violence could actually be therapeutic to a person filled with pent-up anger or frustration and help to purge those emotions.
Who came up with the Catharsis theory?
Seymour Feshbach
Why did people criticize Feshbach's study?
It was obvious that the boys watching non-violent tv shows were going to act out aggressively because it was their only source of entertainment and they were frustrated they couldn't watch their favorite shows.
What is social aggressiveness?
A type of aggression that damages a target's self-esteem or social friendship manipulation
What is an example from when you learned a behavior from a character in the media?
When I was little and watched Rugrats I thought that if I behaved with Angelica's bratty attitude I could get what I want and be a leader (this didn't work out, obviously.
..)
What age demographic is social learning more likely to occur in?
Younger audiences
What impact could trends in social learning have on our society?
Symptoms of bullying can last into adulthood and can cause suicide, depression, lower self-esteem for the rest of people's lives, other psychological issues
Who/what are models in term of modeling behavior?
Any examples of behavior provided in our daily lives (Ex: other people, characters, celebrities)
What is the Social Learning Theory based on?
Imitation - direct repetition of a certain behavior. Remember modeling is not STRICTLY imitation.
What is abstract modeling and what does it do?
It is the premise of social learning theory, NOT imitation. It focuses on developing knowledge and skills for future use in similar situations.
What is identification and who is more likely to identify?
It asks how much a model resembles you. Children are more likely to identify with a wide variety of characters..
. identification lessens with age.
What are the 3 ways social learning works through the media?
DOI! Disinhibitory effects, Observational learning, Inhibitory Effects,
What is observational learning?
Learning unfamiliar behavior by watching it on TV/movies
What are inhibitory effects?
When you see behaviors being PUNISHED in the media, you will not model those behaviors.
What are examples of inhibitory effects?
Don't commit a crime, you'll get caught. If you have bad hair/breath nobody will like you. The TV show 16 and Pregnant.
What are disinhibitory effects?
When you see people being REWARDED for typically negative behavior we will be more likely to model that behavior.
What are examples of disinhibitory effects?
A serial killer becoming famous. An alcoholic like Charlie Sheen considered to be a "fun guy." School bullies being thought of as popular.
What are prosocial behaviors?
Positive behaviors that help society
What do prosocial games encourage?
Helping behavior, encouraging empathy
What do violent games encourage?
Approval of aggression, hostile attribution
Do video games affect our attitudes more than our behaviors?
Video games do not affect our behaviors - we differentiate the games with reality, but our perception of the world around us is affected.
What is the desensitizing effect?
The idea that consuming lots of violent content makes us less likely to react to it in real life.
What is the copycat phenomenon?
When people imitate the exact behaviors they see depicted in the media.
What two behavioral results did the social learning theory emphasize?
Reward and punishment
What is meta-analysis?
It yields general statistical conclusions based on the findings of a large number of individual studies.
