Explanations Of Media Influence

EXPLANATIONS OF MEDIA BEHAVIOUR

Imitation
We learn to behave in a pro- or anti-social manner from observational learning and vicarious reinforcement (social learning theory). This is especially likely if the observer identifies with the characters. Bandura et al.’s research (see page 28) shows that children imitate specific acts and general levels of aggression increase.

Disinhibition effect
The media present social norms about what behaviours are common and acceptable. Normally we are inhibited about behaving in certain ways. These new social norms may alter our behaviour. In America, the lawyer for a 15-year-old who shot his neighbour in the course of a burglary claimed that the boy’s sense of reality had been distorted through excessive exposure to television.

Desensitisation
Exposure to violence may desensitise us so that we tolerate it more easily in real life. Drabman and Thomas (1975) showed young children a film which was either violent or non-violent but exciting. The participants were then asked to monitor the behaviour of two younger children via a TV link. When the confederates started hitting each other, the children who were exposed to the violent film were slower to call for help.

Cognitive priming
Cues presented in the media may later trigger pro- or anti-social thoughts and feelings.Josephson (1987) showed a violent TV programme, involving a walkie-talkie, to one group of boys while another group watched a programme about a motocross team. Later, during a game of hockey, those boys who had instructions via a walkie-talkie and had watched the violent film were most violent.

Stereotypes 
All media need to communicate a great deal of information in a relatively short time, so they use standard cultural stereotypes such as foreigners playing ‘baddies’, overweight people depicted as ‘jolly’, and wolves as big and bad. Such stereotypes may or may not reflect reality, and may be positive or negative. Gunter (1986) found that people who watch a lot of television hold more stereotyped beliefs, suggesting that the use of stereotypes on television does have an influence. Alternatively, people (e.g. children) who have a more simplistic cognitive style and tend to use stereotypes may prefer to watch more television. 

Displacement effect
A media bias would be less harmful if it was sufficiently counterbalanced by experience of the real world. However, people who spend a lot of time watching television or reading books have less time for real interactions. Gerbner and Gross (1976) found that people who watch a lot of television rate the outside world as being more dangerous and threatening than it actually is (deviance amplification). Keith et al. (1986) found that children who watch far more television than average perform less well at school.

Stimulation hypothesis
Television is an ideal medium to present educational information, and is a resource much used by schools. Sesame Street provides preschool children with carefully considered material to promote emotional, social and intellectual development. The value of television and all media is related to what you actually watch, read or listen to.

Evaluation
• There are important individual differences. For example, people who are more aggressive may choose to watch anti-social programmes and/or are more influenced by them.