MEDIA VIOLENCE We have looked into the possible impacts of violent contents in different forms of media on people, be it TV, Music, Movies, Games, etc. Each affects people differently in different degrees, and different individuals react to it differently as well It seems that it may really affect people in certain ways, but cases discussed are still pretty much the minority. Is media really that big an influence where violence is concerned? People tend to point fingers on media alone when something happens, undermining the impact of long years of education we have had, as well as natural instinct and instilled integrity/morality that people may possess There RESEARCH on explaining violent behaviors in people and media is plagued with problems, we need to assess it.

PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH IN MEDIA VIOLENCE Lesson 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will be able to explain the different criticisms on media and violence research Students will be able to answer an exam type question on the problems with methodology of research on mass media and the violence of audiences. Students will be able to design their own research study and evaluate one of their peers.

HOMEWORK Task Look at page 222 of your handout for ideas and then criticize the competing claims we have looked at today on the effects of violence in the media.

Write down the ones you think CONSTITUTE ‘violence’ – RANK most-least. STARTER TASK Write down the ones you think CONSTITUTE ‘violence’ – RANK most-least. G C E A D F B

How are these types of violence different? STARTER TASK How are these types of violence different? They will all be received and reacted to in different ways 1 2 3 Even if we agree on what violence is – how can we begin to measure it?

TASK: Revisit BANDURA and think-pair-share the questions above. Studies conducted BANDURA The type of experiment? Sample size? Ethical Issues? TASK: Revisit BANDURA and think-pair-share the questions above.

EVALUATING RESEARCH REMEMBER THIS INTRODUCTORY TASK: Using your grids identify and explain criticisms of Methods used to study media violence You can use: P. 170 Collins Your handout pages Then......using your handout p222 summarise Giddens view on this problem. MUST SHOULD COULD 4 5 6

How do you think the participant reacts? EVALUATING RESEARCH ONE An experimenter is testing the affects of violent video games on young adults. In a lab experiment they allow the participants to play call of study and then an experimenter comes in and snatches the controller on a really important part of the game whilst another experimenter observes through one way glass what happens. How do you think the participant reacts? Do you think it’s any different to how he/she would react at home if it were for example a sibling who snatched the controller? TASK: Think-pair-share the questions above then using your grid fill in the corresponding boxes .

EVALUATING RESEARCH TWO A CHILD is raised in different ways, a young adult experiences different things to another, as adults do. How might this affect an individuals reaction to media violence in a lab experiment? (Use the pictures to help you). It’s difficult to separate out the media effects in an experiment from other possible causes of violence i.e a persons wider socialization, influences of peers, parents and experiences. These differences mean people may react in different ways to the same violent images. TASK: Think-pair-share the questions above then using your grid fill in the corresponding boxes .

What is the experimenter measuring? EVALUATING RESEARCH THREE The experimenter that’s testing the affects of violent video games on young adults is doing the experiment over 5 days and each participant is in for 3 hour to be tested. How valid is this? What is the experimenter measuring? It only lasts a short time and is therefore only measuring the immediate effects of media violence in a laboratory setting. TASK: Think-pair-share the questions above then using your grid fill in the corresponding boxes .

EVALUATING RESEARCH FOUR The experimenter that’s testing the affects of violent video games on young adults is testing a total of 50 participants. What scale is this experiment judging from the size of the sample? (large?) Therefore can the results be generalized (applied to wider population)? TASK: Think-pair-share the questions above then using your grid fill in the corresponding boxes .

The researcher effects the behaviour of the participant. EVALUATING RESEARCH FIVE THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT - Any ideas? The researcher effects the behaviour of the participant. Apply this to Bandura. A tendency of research subjects to act atypically as a result of their awareness of being studied, as opposed to any actual treatment that has occurred. FOR EXAMPLE, if a school principal observes a classroom of students reacting politely and enthusiastically to a new teacher, such behaviour could be a result of the principal's presence in the classroom, as opposed to the quality of the new teacher. TASK: Think-pair-share the questions above then using your grid fill in the corresponding boxes .

PLENARY Think about alterations you could to make Bandura’s study to avoid some of the criticisms we have just looked at.

STARTER 1 – 5 – 5 Let’s start with 1 word (Criticisms). Expand to 5 words. Now summarise into 5 sentences.

EVALUATING EXAM QUESTION Design your own media violence study This will be passed around to one of your peers who will evaluate it.

the effects of the mass media on their audiences (9) EVALUATING EXAM QUESTION Identify and briefly explain three problems of using ‘laboratory-style experiments’ to study the effects of the mass media on their audiences (9)

PLENARY PEER MARK 2 stars and a wish!