Desensitisation, Disinhibition & Cognitive Priming

• What is desensitisation?

  Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus
• What physiological response is associated with witnessing violent actions?

  Physiological arousal from the sympathetic nervous system
• How does repeated exposure to violent media affect anxiety and arousal?

  It lowers anxiety and arousal levels
• What belief is promoted by repeated exposure to violent media?

  Aggression is socially acceptable for conflict resolution
• What did Funk et al (2004) find regarding attitudes towards violence?

  Negative attitudes weaken and empathy decreases
• What was the aim of Weisz & Earls (1995)?

  To investigate the effects of desensitisation
• How many participants were involved in Weisz & Earls (1995)?

  192 participants
• What did participants in Weisz & Earls (1995) view?

  One of four films depicting violence
• What type of questionnaire did participants complete after viewing the film?

  A 252-item questionnaire measuring various attitudes
• What did participants view after the film in Weisz & Earls (1995)?

  A re-enactment of a rape trial
• What were the findings regarding male viewers of Straw Dogs?

  More accepting of rape myths and less sympathetic
• Was there an effect of film type on female participants in Weisz & Earls (1995)?

  No effect was found on female participants
• What did Krahé et al (2011) measure in their study?

  Physiological arousal using skin conductance
• What did habitual viewers of violent media show in Krahé et al (2011)?

  Lower levels of arousal and higher aggression
• What is an alternative explanation for aggression besides desensitisation?

  Catharsis as a safety valve for aggression
• What does disinhibition refer to?

  Lack of restraint leading to acceptable aggression
• How does media portray aggressive behavior?

  As normative and often rewarded
• What did Berkowitz & Alioto (1973) find regarding aggression?

  Participants gave longer electric shocks after aggression portrayal
• How do children learn aggression from cartoons?

  They learn aggression is socially normative
• What is cognitive priming?

  Thinking triggered by cues for specific responses
• What does Huesmann (1998) suggest about aggressive scripts?

  They are stored in memory and trigger aggression
• What did Fischer & Greitemeyer (2006) find about aggressive lyrics?

  They led to more negative views and aggression towards women
• What do Bushman & Anderson (2002) argue about violent media viewers?

  They access aggressive scripts more readily
• What is a confounding variable in video game research?

  Complexity of gameplay affecting priming effects
• What did Zendle et al (2018) find regarding violent games?

  Priming effect disappeared when complexity was controlled
• What are the key concepts related to desensitisation, disinhibition, and cognitive priming in media violence?

  • Desensitisation: Reduced sensitivity to violence
  • Disinhibition: Lack of restraint in aggression
  • Cognitive Priming: Cues trigger aggressive responses
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research on media violence?

  Strengths:

  • Research support from multiple studies
  • Real-world applications for reducing aggression

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Confounding variables affecting results
  • Alternative explanations for aggression
• What is a strength of Desensitisation

  • Research Support
  • Krahé et al (2011) showed participants violent and non-violent films while measuring physiological arousal using skin conductance
  • Participants who were habitual viewers of violent media showed lower levels of arousal as they watched violent film clips, and also gave higher volumes of white noise to a confederate without being provoked
  • This lower arousal in violent media users reflects desensitisation to the effects of violence, and it was also linked to greater willingness to be aggressive
• What is a limitation of Desensitisation

  • Alternative Explanation
  • Krahé et al (2011) failed to link media viewing, lower arousal and reactive aggression
  • A more valid explanation for this may be catharsis; this psychodynamic theory suggests that viewing violent media is a safety valve, allowing people to release aggressive impulses without behaving violently
  • Therefore, not all aggression is the result of desensitisation and alternative explanations may be more valid
• What is a strength for Disinhibition

  • Research Support
  • Berkowitz & Alioto (1973) found that participants who saw a film depicting aggression as vengeance gave more electric shocks of longer duration to a confederate
  • Media violence may disinhibit aggressive behaviour if it is presented as justified and socially acceptable
  • This demonstrates the link between removal of social constraints and subsequent aggressive behaviour
• What is a strength for Disinhibition

  • Cartoon Violence
  • Children do not learn specific aggressive behaviours from cartoon models
  • Instead, they learn that aggression in general is acceptable and socially normative, especially if the cartoon model is not punished, which disinhibits aggressive behaviour
  • Therefore disinhibition explains how cartoon aggression can lead to aggression in those who observe it
• What is a strength for Cognitive Priming

  • Real World Application
  • Whether real-world situations become violent often depend on how people interpret environmental cues, which depends on the cognitive scripts stored in their memory
  • Bushman & Anderson (2002) argue that someone who watches violent media often accesses stored aggressive scripts more readily, so they interpret cues as aggressive and resort to a violent solution without considering the alternatives
  • This suggests that the interventions could reduce aggressive behaviour by challenging hostile cognitive biases
• What is a limitation for Cognitive Priming

  • Confounding Variables
  • Research into the effects of video games found that playing violent games primes violent behaviour more than non-violent games, however violent games tend to be more complex in their gameplay
  • This complexity is a confounding variable, as it may cause the priming effect rather than the violence, as Zendle et al (2018) found that when complexity was controlled, the priming effect of violent games disappeared
  • Therefore, the supportive findings of studies into priming may be at least partly due to confounding variables
• What is a limitation for Desensitisation?

  Alternative Explanation

  • Krahé et al (2011) failed to link media viewing, lower arousal and reactive aggression
  • A more valid explanation for this may be catharsis; this psychodynamic theory suggests that viewing violent media is a safety valve, allowing people to release aggressive impulses without behaving violently
  • Therefore, not all aggression is the result of desensitisation and alternative explanations may be more valid 
• What is a strength for Desensitisation?

  Research Support

  • Krahé et al (2011) showed participants violent and non-violent films while measuring physiological arousal using skin conductance
  • Participants who were habitual viewers of violent media showed lower levels of arousal as they wanted violent film clips, and also gave higher volumes of white noise to a confederate without being provoked
  • This lower arousal in violent media users reflects desensitisation to the effects of violence, and it was also linked to greater willingness to be aggressive
• What is a strength for Disinhibition?

  Research Support

  • Berkowitz & Alioto (1973) found that participants who saw a film depicting aggression as vengeance gave more electric shocks of longer duration to a confederate
  • Media violence may disinhibit aggressive behaviour if it is presented as justified and socially acceptable
  • This demonstrates the link between removal of social constraints and subsequent aggressive behaviour
• What is a limitation for Cognitive Priming?

  Confounding Variables

  • Research into the effects of video games found that playing violent games primes violent behaviour more than non-violent games, however violent games tend to be more complex in their gameplay
  • This complexity is a confounding variable, as it may cause the priming effect rather than the violence, as Zendle et al (2018) found that when complexity was controlled, the priming effect of violent games disappeared
  • Therefore, the supportive findings of studies into priming may be at least partly due to confounding variables
• What is a strength for Cognitive Priming?

  Real World Application

  • Whether real-world situations become violent often depend on how people interpret environmental cues, which depends on the cognitive scripts they have stored in memory
  • Bushman & Anderson (2002) argue that someone who habitually watches violent media accesses stored aggressive scripts more readily, so they are more likely to interpret cues as aggressive and resort to a violent solution without considering the alternatives
  • This suggests that the interventions could reduce aggressive behaviour by challenging hostile cognitive biases