Aicha Souidi

COM 472
5/5/16
Violence in the Media

Violence in the media has been an ongoing controversial topic for many years it has been
increasing and effecting mass groups of people from young children to grown adults. The vast
majority of media violence research concentrates on violent behavior and aggressive acts. 90%
of Americans at home could receive TV signals by the 50s. This level of capacity set the stage
for a new era of media violence for the overall society. The crucial question that is always
probed is whether or not the exposure of violent media images effects the viewers to behave
aggressively. Reviewing the chapter on the Effects of Media Violence as well as looking at
empirical academic articles not much has changed when it comes to how media violence is
changing our society.
According to Riddle (2014), Media violence researchers know that context matters. His
article looks at contextual factors in media violence graphicness. Sargent et al found that many
have argued that the American media landscape including television, movies and video games
present violent portrayals that are increasingly graphic in nature (p. 291). According to Riddle
(2014) people do not know about the ways which highly graphic media violence differs from the
sanitized violence in terms of effects. Riddles article looks at the issues related to media
violence graphicness. The research on this topic is scarce. Very few studies look at manipulating
the level of graphicness and test for the effects, they match the effects of graphic violence to a
non-exposure group or time period, or they associate the long-term vs short-term exposure to
graphic violence (Riddle, 2014, p. 295).

There are numerous theoretical frameworks such as Social Cognitive Theory by

Bandura or Cultivation signifying that media violence does not need to be graphic to lead to the
negative effects therefore this is one reason why the graphicness remains unexplored (Riddle,
2014, p. 293). According to Riddle (2014) a second problem with the graphicness literature is
the limited studies exploring this topic have failed to illuminate the mechanisms through which
graphic, violent imagery might lead to effects (p. 293). Two types of research investigates the
effects of stimulus vividness. According to Riddle (2014) These studies look at whether
information presented vividly is more persuasive than information presented pallidly (p. 293).
The second part of this research comes from scholars exploring the digital media and virtual
reality (p. 293). Vividness varies on five dimensions: Concreteness, Proximity of Information,
Emotional interest, Breadth of detail and Depth of detail. Riddle argued that concreteness refers
to the degree of detail and specificity about actors, actions, and situational context (as cited in
Nisbett and Ross, 1980, p. 47). Proximity of information raises the issue of how stimulus takes
place or is located close to the observer. Emotional interest is how the stimuli emotionally
captures the person. According to Riddle (2014) the stimulus will have higher emotional
relevance the more an observer likes or dislikes it (p.294). Breadth of detail is how the stimuli
will arouse the persons senses. Lastly, depth of detail is if the stimuli is considered vivid enough
due to a high number of pixels and quality (p. 294).
Riddles (2014) Study found the following: media violence vividness is conceptualized as
a continuum varying along the five dimensions as discussed. Of these five dimensions, two
address the nature of information provided within the media content and two address the way in
which the content is presented to the audiences (breadth and depth). One dimension (spatial
proximity) can refer to either details within media content or the manner in which it is presented

to audiences. (p. 296). Riddles (2014) study also found: due to the nature of violent images,
TVMV (Theory of vivid media violence) approaches the concept of attention similar to the
limited capacity approach to television processing, which distinguishes between short-and-long
term attention. Short-term attention is an involuntary, orienting response to media messages that
result automatic allocation of resources to stimuli. (as cited in Lang, Newhagen, & Reeves,
1996). Long-term attention however, refers to an ongoing attention allocated to a media stimulus.
(p. 299).
According to Madan, Mrug and Wright (2013), Exposure to media violence is related to
anxiety in youth, but the causality of the effect has not been established (p. 116). This study
examines the effects of media violence on anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate in late
adolescents. Participants were college students from introductory psychology classes. The study
engaged a pretest-posttest control group design. Each group was responsible for viewing five
movie clips selected from a larger choice of scenes based on the results of a similar. According to
Madan, Mrug and Wright (2013) The pilot study tested a sample of 14 violent and 11
nonviolent clips using 10 undergraduate and graduate psychology students. The clips were
selected to reflect different types of violent and nonviolent scenes, with main characters being
diverse in their race, age, and gender (p. 119).
Madan, Mrug and Wrights (2013) study found the following:
On average, students experienced multiple acts of violence multiple times and watched
approximately 5 h a week of violent TV or movies. The average baseline of anxiety was lower
compared to a normative college sample. Participants randomized to the violent movie group had
seen fewer of the clips shown and had greater increase in anxiety compared to those randomized
to watch the nonviolent clips; no other differences between the two groups emerged. (p. 120).

Females had a higher baseline heart rate, lower levels of exposure to real-life violence,
and greater increase in anxiety. Non-white students had higher baseline DBP. Students who had
also seen more of the movies shown had lower increases in anxiety. Greater exposure to media
violence was related to lower baseline anxiety and greater increases in heart rate. Exposure to
real-life violence was associated with seeing more clips shown. (p.120).
According to Madan, Mrug and Wright (2013) Despite older adolescents high levels of
exposure to violence in TV and movies, few studies have experimentally examined the effects of
televised violence on anxiety in this age group. Anxiety may be especially problematic for late
adolescents in college because it may impact their academic work (p.121). Therefore, watching
violent movie content increase subjective anxiety in late adolescents. Movie violence however
did not affect cardiovascular functioning. Students did have an increase in blood pressure and a
slower heart rate when shown movie violence based on previous exposure to real-life violence
(p. 121).
Bushman and Anderson (2015) researched the cause of school shootings and other
extreme acts of violence. According to Bushman and Anderson (2015) Public debate on the link
between violent media and youth violence can become especially contentious in the wake of a
shooting rampage (Bushman & Anderson, 2015). Majority of the perpetrators put on a uniform
before killing innocents as a way to follow some type of media script. They stated that very
few analog experiments have included behavioral measures that could be classified as violent.
In one experiment, participants who had played a randomly assigned video game behaved more
aggressively on the noise blast measure than did those who had played a nonviolent game (also
cited by Konijn et al, 2007). In addition, boys in the violent game conditions strongly had

identified with their character in the game and they also believed they could cause hearing loss
(p. 1816).
Bushman & Andersons (2015) study found the following:
First, extreme violence occurs only when multiple casual risk factors are present. Second,
scientific causality is often a probabilistic nature, not a one-to-one necessary and sufficient
relationship. Exposure to violent media is neither necessary not sufficient enough to cause
aggressive and violent behavior but, it does increase the probability of aggressive and violent
behavior. Third, theory is crucial for studying violent media effects. For decades, both therapists
and researchers have complied evidence showing that observing violence in the home at school,
in the community and in the culture is harmful to children. Fourth, research using different
research methods, participants and settings triangulates on the conclusion that exposure to
violent media is linked to aggressive and violent behavior. Fifth, there is an extensive body of
theoretically consistent empirical evidence showing that the exposure to media violence is a
casual risk factor for aggression. Sixth, there is also a smaller, but generally consistent body of
evidence showing that media violence effects on aggression extent to more extreme forms of
physical aggression (p.1818).
Delisi, Vaughn, Gentile et al. (2013) found serious delinquents often have precocious
self-regulation behaviors and corresponding juvenile justice system interventions occurring
during childhood, engage in assorted delinquent behaviors often at high frequencies, and struggle
to achieve functioning competencies in school, family and work demands (p.132). Private
interviewers were conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. The youth that were participating
had previous history of involvement in delinquent behavior with juvenile court spanning several
years.

Delisi, Vaughn, Gentile et al. (2013) study found the following:

Present data showed that playing violent video games or having a preference for violent
video games is correlated with delinquency and violence even when considering the effects of a
battery of correlates of delinquency including psychopathya construct whos relation to crime
is so robust it has been linked to a unified theory of crime (also cited by Delisi, 2009). The
consumption of violent media is far from innocuous, and when violent media consumption in the
form of video games is viewed by adults as a reward for youth to spend their free time is
problematic (p. 138-139).
According to Huesmann (2007) Complementing these one-time survey studies are the
longitudinal real-world studies that have shown correlations over time from childhood viewing
of media violence to later and adult aggressive behavior (p,10).
Huesmanns (2007) study found the following:
Increasing rates of aggression for both boys and girls who watched more television violence,
even with controls for initial aggressiveness and many other background factors. Children who
identified with the portrayed aggressor and those who perceived the violence as realistic were
especially likely to show these observational learning effects. A 15 year follow up of these
children demonstrated that those who habitually watched more TV violence in their middlechildhood years grew up to be more aggressive young adults. For example 11% of males were
convicted of a crime. Media violence increases the risk significantly that the viewer or game
player will behave more violently both in the short and long run. Randomized experiments
demonstrate conclusively the exposure to media violence immediately increases the likelihood of
aggressive behavior for both children and adults in the short run (p, 10-11).

Bushman & Andersons (2009) study tested the hypothesis that exposure to violent media
reduces aid offered to people in pain (p.273). There were two studies conducted, the first one
involved the participants to play a violent or nonviolent video game. Later they would hear a
staged fight leading to someone getting injured. Bushman & Anderson (2009) predicted that
playing a violent video game, in comparison to playing a nonviolent game, would decrease the
likelihood of help, delay helping, decrease the likelihood of noticing an emergency, and decrease
the judged severity of emergency (p, 273).
Bushman & Andersons (2009) first study found the following:
Participants who played a violent game took significantly longer to help, over 450%
longer, than participants who played a nonviolent game, those who played a violent game were
less likely to motive the fight and rated it as less serious, which are two obstacles to helping.
(p.276)
The second study involved adult moviegoers. There would be a young women who has a
wrapped ankle and crutches accidently dropping and unable to retrieve them. The violent movies
were rated R the nonviolent were rated PG.
Bushman & Andersons (2009) second study found the following:
Although the helping delay increased the number of bystanders increased, and women
helped less often than men, these effects were not statistically significant and were not analyzed
further. Participants who viewed a violent movie took over %26 longer to help than participants
in the other three conditions. (p.276)
According to Bushman & Anderson (2009) These two studies support the
desensitization hypothesis linking media violence to decreased helping behavior. In study 1,
violent video games known to desensitize people caused decreases in helping-related behavior,

perceptions and cognitions. In Study 2, violent movies delayed helping in a wholly naturalistic
setting. The person need of help had an injured ankle in both studies. The similar results across
both studies show that desensitization caused by media violence generalizes beyond failure to
help victims of violence (p. 277).
Arkansas 1998 to Aurora, Colorado and Newton, Connecticut in 2012 these horrible mass
shootings have brought the issue of media effects on young people to the lead once again. In the
past decade there has been great improvement with research regarding the effects of new
technology on children and adolescents however there is still gaps about newer technology (p,
721). According to Strasburger and Donnerstein (2014) part of the problem may be that the
video game research is neither as voluminous nor quite convincing as the older media violence
research. For example, there are very few studies on video games, particularly first-person
shooter, and criminal behavior (p.721). Perhaps the most serious problem is the violent video
game debate, and for all types of media influence, is the simple fact that those in political and
policy making world simply do not accept the scientific findings (p,722).
Unz, Schwab & Spurk (2008) examined the influence of violent TV news on viewers
emotional responses involving their facial expressions. Unz, Schwab & Spurk (2008) found that
emotions play a major role in watching TV news (p.141). The first study looked at the analysis
of subjective feelings while watching violent TV news. The study used a two-factorial design.
First factor looked at the type of violence. The second factor looked at different viewer types.
The participants of this experiment were a total of 135 adolescents watching a 15-minute
videotape with 10 news reports. Once the report was finished the participants had to rate their
feelings on the DAS scales (Unz, Schwab & Spurk, 2008 p.144).

Unz, Schwab & Spurks (2008) first study found the following:
The purpose of this study was to advance the understanding of how violence in TV news
influences emotional responses, especially subjective feelings, of viewers and how viewers
gratifications influence these feelings. The results indicate that the type of violence portrayed in a
news report influences the intensity and mixture of experienced subjective feelings. If violent
events are presented on TV, compared to nonviolent news features, news viewers report more socalled negative feelings and less enjoyment. When exposed to news content that portrays
intentional violence, stronger negative feelings are reported compared to exposure to
nonintentional violence. Participants mainly reported more anger, but in contrast to our
expectations, they reported more feelings of fear and sadness. (p.148)
The second study looks at analyzing facial expressions. The study uses a two-factorial
design like the first study. According to Unz, Schwab & Spurk (2008) Given the enormous
importance of the measurement of facial expressions to the study of emotions, a number of
observer-based systems of facial expression measurement have been developed (p.149). The
participants of this study included 18 students between the ages of 13-18. They were shown a 15minute video of 14 reports covering different subjects. The subjects encompassed hostage-taking
in a bank, parenticides, car chase with a police, car accident, landslide, volcanic eruption and ban
on animal traps. The non-violent reports showed payments in case of illness, teenagers using
drugs, hot dog contest, and television in metro, taxation laws and health insurance (Unz, Schwab
& Spurk,2008 p.149).
Unz, Schwab & Spurks (2008) first study found the following:
1322 facial expressions were coded and 48.3% could be interpreted as emotional
reactions. Meaning that the average viewer shows 22.7 emotional expressions. The purpose of

this study was to gain an advanced understanding of how violence in TV news influences
emotional responses of viewers. The results suggest that violence seems to be an important
content variable. Violence does not influence specific emotional displays; it is rather that a
heightened expressivity can be observed. Viewers showed the most contempt while watching
intentional violence, less when viewing unintentional violence and the least when observing
nonviolent TV news reports. (p.151).
In conclusion looking at all of the empirical academic articles, there has been a lot of
progress when investigating violence in the media within the last 10 years however there still is a
huge bulk of research still missing and questions that remain unanswered. Not much has changed
regarding violence in the media because it still is very present and we are becoming more
desensitized to it. Our society is adapted to seeing violence all over the media as well as hearing
about it.

Sources:
Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2009). Comfortably numb desensitizing effects of
violent media on helping others. Psychological Science, 20(3), 273-277.
Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2009). Comfortably numb desensitizing effects of
violent media on helping others. Psychological Science, 20(3), 273-277.
DeLisi, M., Vaughn, M. G., Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., & Shook, J. J. (2013).
Violent video games, delinquency, and youth violence new evidence. Youth Violence and
Juvenile Justice, 11(2), 132-142.
Huesmann, L. R. (2007). The impact of electronic media violence: Scientific theory and
research. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6), S6-S13.
Madan, A., Mrug, S., & Wright, R. A. (2014). The effects of media violence on anxiety in
late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(1), 116-26.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0017-3
Riddle, K. (2014). A Theory of Vivid Media Violence. Communication Theory
(10503293), 24(3), 291-310. doi:10.1111/comt.12040
Strasburger, V. C., & Donnerstein, E. (2014). The New Media of Violent Video Games
Yet Same Old Media Problems?. Clinical pediatrics, 53(8), 721-725.
Unz, D., Schwab, F., & Winterhoff-Spurk, P. (2008). TV News-The Daily Horror?.
Journal of media psychology, 20(4), 141-155.