Toleration of Real Life Aggression As a Function of Exposure to Televised Violence and Age of Subject.

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: This study by Thomas and Drabman looked at children's ability to tolerate aggressive behavior after having been exposed to a violent television program. This study was similar to a study conducted in 1974 by the authors. METHODOLOGY: The study employed a 2x2x2 design comparing the following variables: an aggressive film versus a control film, first graders versus third graders, and male versus female. The authors used a non-probability sample of 40 first graders and 40 third graders with an equal distribution of males and females. The subjects were gathered from a parochial school of predominately white students in November and December of 1973. A 22 year old white male, was used for all testing. The third grade children were expected to respond more quickly than the first graders because the latter group had less experience in assuming responsibility. The children were led by the tester into a room inside a trailer. Once inside, the children could see that a video camera was currently filming the events inside the room. The tester then led the group out of the trailer, back into their school, and into the room set up for this study. Each grade level was split into two separate groups and exposed to separate treatments of a 15 minute violent film, or a 15 minute film of an exciting, but non-violent baseball game. The 15 minutes of violence contained six murders, four arguments, seven fights, and 17 shots fired from a gun. After viewing their respective film, each group was instructed to monitor a special television screen. This screen was to display the present activity in the trailer that they were previously in. The children were told that some younger children might arrive. They were also instructed that these children might be left unattended and that they needed to watch out for these small children. If the children on the screen were left unattended and got into any trouble, the students were instructed to collect the tester at a specified location. After the tester departed, the television screen displayed two small children, alone without supervision. Their subsequent interaction grew into a verbal argument, followed by the children destroying each others block buildings. The situation then escalated into a physical fight followed by the impression that the camera had been knocked down during the commotion. The audio portion was still playing and the verbal assaults continued until another crash ended the audio portion. Measurements were taken recording the amount of time elapsed before any of the children attempted to notify the tester. Analysis employed analysis of variance and mean transformed latency score comparisons for first and third graders within the two treatment conditions. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The results for the third graders closely matched the findings in Drabman and Thomas' 1974 study. For the third graders who previewed the violent film, sex did not significantly effect the slowness with which they sought adult aid. One significant finding was that seven third graders in the aggressive film group failed to seek adult aid, compared to only one of the third graders from the control group. Age not sex was seen as a factor in the failure of the third graders to respond. Among the first graders, neither treatment condition nor sex was a factor in their failure to respond (p This study revealed that prior television exposure to violence led to significantly lower rates of reaction in responding to new acts of aggression. The slower rates of response by the first graders for both treatment types were expected and illustrated. The authors agreed with Drabman and Thomas, that exposure to media violence may increase the viewer's tolerance level for violence by either conveying the message that violence is normal, or by reducing emotional response to such behavior. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - 1970s KW - Elementary School Student KW - Grade 3 KW - Grade 1 KW - Late Childhood KW - Middle Childhood KW - Desensitization KW - Television Violence KW - Television Viewing KW - Media Violence Effects KW - Exposure to Violence KW - Child Aggression KW - Aggression Causes