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TELEVISION AND VIOLENCE - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

NCJ Number
63058
Author(s)
G L SIMPSON
Date Published
1979
Length
53 pages
Annotation
RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A LITERATURE REVIEW OF STUDIES DEALING WITH THE EFFECT ON AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF VIOLENCE PORTRAYED ON TELEVISION; IMPLICATIONS ARE DRAWN FOR NEW ZEALAND.
Abstract
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF AGGRESSIVENESS IMITATION AND AROUSAL TO AGGRESSION WITH CHILDREN AND JUVENILES SHOW A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIEWING MEDIA AGRESSIVENESS AND BEHAVING AGGRESSIVELY IN LABORATORY SETTINGS. SURVEY STUDIES OF CHILDREN'S TELEVISION VIEWING PATTERNS AND THEIR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR SHOW MODEST CORRELATIONS. SURVEY AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ARE CONSISTENT IN SHOWING THAT THE EFFECTS OF VIEWING FILMED VIOLENCE ARE MORE THAN SHORT-TERM. THE EXTENT TO WHICH VIEWING FILMED VIOLENCE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IS UNCERTAIN. VIOLENT ACTS RESULT FROM A COMPLEX NETWORK OF PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND SITUATIONAL VARIABLES, ONE OF WHICH MAY BE THE VIEWING OF TELEVISION VIOLENCE. THE STRENGTH OF THIS INDEPENDENT VARIABLE IN RELATION TO OTHER CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. IN NEW ZEALAND, THE GROUPS MOST LIKELY TO ACT ON THE EXPOSURE OF VIEWERS TO TELEVISION VIOLENCE ARE LEGISLATORS, THE TELEVISION PROGRAMMING PROFESSIONALS, AND THE CONSUMERS OF TELEVISION PROGRAMS. NO ONE OF THE THREE GROUPS CAN BE VERY INFLUENTIAL OPERATING IN ISOLATION FROM THE OTHER TWO. PUBLIC DEBATE IS THE FORUM MOST LIKELY TO PRODUCE AN EXCHANGE OF VIEWS THAT WILL PRODUCE ACTION. THE INITIATOR OF THE DEBATE WOULD MOST APPROPRIATELY BE THE BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF NEW ZEALAND. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)