NCJ Number
177930
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 13-28
Date Published
1999
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of research methodology and findings on the behavioral impact of viewing violent material on film and video; suggestions for future research are offered.
Abstract
There have been recent claims that viewing violent material on film and video may influence children and adolescents to commit violent acts. Some have argued that heavy exposure to television violence in childhood is associated with violent crime as an adult, although others have emphasized that experiencing "real" violence as a child has a much greater effect on aggressive predispositions. Ways in which screen violence can affect behavior include imitation of violent roles and aggressive acts, triggering aggressive impulses in predisposed individuals, desensitizing feelings of sympathy toward victims, creating an indifference to the use of violence, and creating a frame of mind that views violent acts as a socially acceptable response to stress and frustration. Some researchers conclude that young offenders may like violent videos because of their violent background and behavioral tendencies. Whether preferences for violent images reinforce violent behavior and increase the frequency of aggressive acts and antisocial behavior is still open to question. Perhaps an agenda for future research is to use a multi-method approach that combines direct observation, indirect reports, and self-reports on the way people watch film, how they watch it, and what they understand and conclude from it. This would provide information on context, method, and interpretation of viewing violent film and television. A longitudinal perspective to this multi-method approach would determine changes in context, method, and interpretation with age and development. Because direct observation can confirm the findings of indirect reports and self-reports, such studies would be less open to criticism and debate. 71 references