Desensitisation

• Desensitisation is the process of reducing sensitivity to a stimulus
• In normal conditions, anxiety about violence inhibits its use. Exposure to media violence can reduce this anxiety
• someone who is desensitised to violence may perceive it as a normal response and be more likely to engage in it themselves
• desensitisation to media violence usually takes a long time
• Desensitisation can result in a reduction in physiological arousal
• Linz et al (1989) found that participants showed a reduction in heart rate when individuals are exposed to real violence after repeated exposure to media violence
• Repeated exposure to violence media promotes a belief that using aggression as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable
• Mullin and Linz (1995) found that desensitised individuals have less negative attitudes towards violence, they are less likely to notice violence in real life, and are less sympathetic towards the victims of violence
• Krahe et al (2011) measured the philosophical arousal of 303 participants as they watched violent and non-violent films. Participants who watched violent media more often showed lower levels of arousal. Lower arousal was correlated with increased aggression in a task where participants had to blast an opponent with white noise
• Belson (1978) studied 1500 teenage boys. They measured the number of hours spent watching television violence and their anti-social attitudes. There was no link found between the number of hours spent watching violent television and anti-social attitudes
• it is difficult to establish a connection between media exposure and desensitisation
• individuals are exposed to media every day, whether thats through films and TV or video games, however, not all individuals are affected equally by this exposure
• some research studies find a link between violence and desensitisation, and some find no link between these factors
• individual differences may explain why some people become more desensitised than others
• if desensitisation cant account for the effect of exposure to violent media in all people, then it may not be a useful explanation of the effects of media aggression