Effect of Violence in the Media

Decades of psychological look for confirms that media violence can increase aggression. Virtually since the dawn of television, parents, teachers, legislators, and mental health professionals have been concerned somewhat the suffice of television programs and its impact, particularly on barbarianren. Of special concern has been the portrayal of violence, especially given psychologist Albert Banduras lap on social learning and the tendency of children to imitate what they see.As a result of 15 long meter of consistently disturbing findings about the violent content of childrens programs, the Surgeon Generals Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior was formed in 1969 to assess the impact of violence on the attitudes, value and behavior of viewers. The resulting Surgeon Generals report and a follow-up report in 1982 by the National implant of Mental Health identify these major magnetic cores of seeing violence on television * Children whitethorn become le ss sensitive to the pain and suffering of others * Children may be more fearful of the population around them Children may be more likely to behave in assertive or abusive ways toward others Research by psychologists L. Rowell Huesmann, Leonard Eron and others found that children who watched m whatsoever hours of violence on television when they were in main(a) school tended to also show a higher level of battleful behavior when they became teenagers. By observant these young people into adulthood, Dr. Huesmann and Dr. Eron found that the ones who hadd watched a lot of TV violence when they were eight years quondam(a) were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts as adults.Interestingly, being aggressive as a child did not predict notice more violent TV as a teenager, suggesting that TV watching may more often be a cause rather than a consequence of aggressive behavior. Violent video games are a more recent phenomenon therefore there is less question on th eir effects. However, research by psychologist Craig A. Anderson and others shows that playing violent video games can increase a persons aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life. In fact, a study by Dr. Anderson in 2000 suggests that violent video games may be more harmful than violent elevision and movies because they are interactive, actually engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor.Dr. Anderson and other researchers are also looking into how violent medicament lyrics affect children and adults. In a 2003 study involving college students, Anderson found that songs with violent lyrics increased aggression related thoughts and emotions and this effect was computely related to the violent content of the lyrics. One major conclusion from this and other research on violent entertainment media is that content matters, says Anderson. This message is important for all consumers, but especially for parents of chil dren and adolescents. A natural child in the U. S. watches 28 hours of TV weekly, seeing as many as 8,000 murders by the time he or she finishes elementary school at age 11, and worse, the killers are depicted as acquiring away with the murders 75% of the time while showing no remorse or accountability. Such TV violence socialization may make children immune to brutality and aggression, while others become fearful of sustenance in such a dangerous society.With the research clearly showing that watching violent TV programs can lead to aggressive behavior, The American Psychological Association passed a resolution in 1985 making known broadcasters and the public of the potential dangers that viewing violence on television can have for children. In 1992, the APAs assign Force on Television and Society published a report that further confirmed the standoff between TV violence and aggression. In 1990, Congress passed the Childrens Television Act (CTA), which outlined new regulation s for commercialised broadcast stations.As a result of the CTA (which was updated in 1996), stations are required to air at least three hours of programming that furthers the education and informational needs of children 16 years and under in any respect, including childrens intellectual/cognitive or social/emotional needs. These programs must be labeled with the designation E/I and have clearly stated, written educational objectives. These educational programs generally contain both direct and indirect messages fostering cooperation and compassion rather than aggression. Parents now have positive options when it comes to choosing TV programs for their children.Research on television and violence has also led to the development of content-based rating systems that allow parents to make judgments about the programs content before allowing their children to watch a show. Besides warning of the harmful effects of violent media content, psychology has a strong history of bringing out the best in television. For example, Daniel R. Anderson, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, has worked with producers of childrens programs like Sesame Street and Captain Kangaroo to help TV shows educate children.