VOL. XXIV, NO. 5
FEBRUARY 23, 1983
Television Violence.
Does it injure or educate today’s teenager ?
Does it injure or educate today’s teenager ?
Researchers, Psychologists determine TV violence causes aggression
by Brenda McAvoy
Television, one of the most popular items in today's home, has recently come under attack by researchers and psychologists.
Researchers have released numerous studies on television's negative effects on viewers. Psychologists have provided test results showing that certain kinds of programs and the amount of television watched can have a negative effect also. Yet, the public is still watching television like they are afraid their sets will one day vanish into thin air.
Tests prove that today's average high school graduate has spent about 15,000 hours in front of the tube. "Television is passive entertainment, that's one reason so many researchers, psychologists and teachers are against it. I think TV is passive," says Mrs. Fay Lamax Cook, assistant professor of the School of Education at Northwestern Univeristy. "It takes away a child's creativity," she adds.
Another complaint levelled against television is that it tends to make children aggressive. Professor of Psychology at Circle Campus, Leonard Eron, has done extensive research on the subject. "I've been studying the effects TV has on children since 1960," says Mr. Eron.
In 1960 he interviewed 875 youngsters. Ten years later, in 1970, he saw those same people again. He concluded, "The aggressiveness of the child depended on how much violence he was subjected to." He also found that the child's aggression increased as he grew older.
In 1970 he repeated the 10 year experiment, "This time with 700 youngsters," stated Mr. Eron. What were the results? "We had the same results," said Mr. Eron. This type of research has now been conducted in five other countries: Finland, Poland, Holland, Israel, and Australia. "The results were pretty much the same," said Mr. Eron. "There were minor differences - but all clearly showed that TV violence causes aggression."
Does race or economic status have any bearing on the TV's effects on the viewer? Obviously not race if five other countries got the same results as Mr. Eron did, but what about economic status? "No, that has no part in it either. It's whether a person feels TV is realistic or not. It also depends on how the person identifies with the TV character," says Mr. Eron.
Mrs. Cook agrees that TV is harmful; personally, "As a mother I hate TV," she says. "I don't want my child to watch a lot of TV and therefore I'm very selective of what I let my child watch," stated Mrs. Cook. But, as a researcher, "I feel that studies are inconclusive. Yes, TV causes aggression, but children are socialized by things other than TV such as parents, school, reading, church. There are forces in a child's life other than TV," she says.
However, it's been found that from the time a child is born until he graduates he spends more time in front of the set than he spends on any other activity - except sleeping.
In a recent survey conducted by the Westerner, students were asked whether or not they thought the amount of time they spent watching TV affected them in any way. About 30% of the students replied yes. Students complained of headaches while watching TV, boredom, loss of free time and loss of sleep due to staying up late to watch the movies.
Television, one of the most popular items in today's home, has recently come under attack by researchers and psychologists.
Researchers have released numerous studies on television's negative effects on viewers. Psychologists have provided test results showing that certain kinds of programs and the amount of television watched can have a negative effect also. Yet, the public is still watching television like they are afraid their sets will one day vanish into thin air.
Tests prove that today's average high school graduate has spent about 15,000 hours in front of the tube. "Television is passive entertainment, that's one reason so many researchers, psychologists and teachers are against it. I think TV is passive," says Mrs. Fay Lamax Cook, assistant professor of the School of Education at Northwestern Univeristy. "It takes away a child's creativity," she adds.
Another complaint levelled against television is that it tends to make children aggressive. Professor of Psychology at Circle Campus, Leonard Eron, has done extensive research on the subject. "I've been studying the effects TV has on children since 1960," says Mr. Eron.
In 1960 he interviewed 875 youngsters. Ten years later, in 1970, he saw those same people again. He concluded, "The aggressiveness of the child depended on how much violence he was subjected to." He also found that the child's aggression increased as he grew older.
In 1970 he repeated the 10 year experiment, "This time with 700 youngsters," stated Mr. Eron. What were the results? "We had the same results," said Mr. Eron. This type of research has now been conducted in five other countries: Finland, Poland, Holland, Israel, and Australia. "The results were pretty much the same," said Mr. Eron. "There were minor differences - but all clearly showed that TV violence causes aggression."
Does race or economic status have any bearing on the TV's effects on the viewer? Obviously not race if five other countries got the same results as Mr. Eron did, but what about economic status? "No, that has no part in it either. It's whether a person feels TV is realistic or not. It also depends on how the person identifies with the TV character," says Mr. Eron.
Mrs. Cook agrees that TV is harmful; personally, "As a mother I hate TV," she says. "I don't want my child to watch a lot of TV and therefore I'm very selective of what I let my child watch," stated Mrs. Cook. But, as a researcher, "I feel that studies are inconclusive. Yes, TV causes aggression, but children are socialized by things other than TV such as parents, school, reading, church. There are forces in a child's life other than TV," she says.
However, it's been found that from the time a child is born until he graduates he spends more time in front of the set than he spends on any other activity - except sleeping.
In a recent survey conducted by the Westerner, students were asked whether or not they thought the amount of time they spent watching TV affected them in any way. About 30% of the students replied yes. Students complained of headaches while watching TV, boredom, loss of free time and loss of sleep due to staying up late to watch the movies.
The most common response was from students who admitted that their grades were suffering because of the amount of time they spent watching television instead of finishing their homework.
There's one area of television that most people take for granted as being a positive side, the TV news. But recently even the news has come under attack.
"People have gotten a misrepresentative view of our society," states Mrs. Cook. "The news centers around the bad things that happen that day and searches for topics that will catch viewer interest; the news is always going to tell us what i dramatic and catchy," replied Mrs. Cook. "I think it's important that viewers understand that," she warns.
Mr. Eron concurs with this negative view of TV news and has found that, "by showing the newscasts over and over a child begins to think the behavior he sees is ordinary and acceptable." Take for instance President Reagan's assasination attempt. When it was first shows on TV it interrupted all programming and before it was edited, showed everything. "Seeing this over and over is harmful; people begin to think this behavior is natural and ordinary," he said.
Mr. Neil Postman, media professor at New York University, is also against TV and the affect it has on people, saying "Television teaches kids too much too soon." Mr. Postman continues, "Television does not stress the cognitive activity that produces human ingenuity, complexity and profundity - and, in fact, it works in the opposite direction." He adds, "Television impedes the development of social skills."
To Mr. Postman it is clear that "If we turn over to children a vast store of powerful adult material, childhood cannot survive." He cites statistics provided in Newsweek, 2/21/77 as stating that "according to television survey company, A.C. Nielson, by the time a teen graduates from high school he has vicariously participated in 18,000 killings."
Mr. Eron stresses the point that if a child is constantly seeing robberies, rapes and killings on TV, should he ever be exposed to the real thing, there would be little or no effect. "If a person sees violence continually, after a period of time he begins to accept it as being okay; an ordinary occurrence in real life," he says.
Remember the Pulitzer trial? Or the John Wayne Gacy case? People were constantly hearing the gory details on the news. But in each of these cases newscasters only reported the news, they did not stress the fact that Mr. Gacy was evil. After listening to the reports for so long and being subjected to so much blood and violence on TV, researchers have found that after a period of time these acts mean almost nothing to the heavy TV viewer.
The National Parent Teacher Association agrees, "There seem to be three possible effects of watching TV violence: "Children may become less sensitive to the pain of others, they may become fearful of the world around them, and they may be likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others."
The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence has also found that by watching a heavy amount of TV, a person's behavior can be affected in a negative way.
In the Eisenhower Report researchers conclude, "It is reasonable to believe that a constant diet of violent behavior on television has an adverse effect on human character and attitudes. Violence on television encourages violent forms of behavior."
There's one area of television that most people take for granted as being a positive side, the TV news. But recently even the news has come under attack.
"People have gotten a misrepresentative view of our society," states Mrs. Cook. "The news centers around the bad things that happen that day and searches for topics that will catch viewer interest; the news is always going to tell us what i dramatic and catchy," replied Mrs. Cook. "I think it's important that viewers understand that," she warns.
Mr. Eron concurs with this negative view of TV news and has found that, "by showing the newscasts over and over a child begins to think the behavior he sees is ordinary and acceptable." Take for instance President Reagan's assasination attempt. When it was first shows on TV it interrupted all programming and before it was edited, showed everything. "Seeing this over and over is harmful; people begin to think this behavior is natural and ordinary," he said.
Mr. Neil Postman, media professor at New York University, is also against TV and the affect it has on people, saying "Television teaches kids too much too soon." Mr. Postman continues, "Television does not stress the cognitive activity that produces human ingenuity, complexity and profundity - and, in fact, it works in the opposite direction." He adds, "Television impedes the development of social skills."
To Mr. Postman it is clear that "If we turn over to children a vast store of powerful adult material, childhood cannot survive." He cites statistics provided in Newsweek, 2/21/77 as stating that "according to television survey company, A.C. Nielson, by the time a teen graduates from high school he has vicariously participated in 18,000 killings."
Mr. Eron stresses the point that if a child is constantly seeing robberies, rapes and killings on TV, should he ever be exposed to the real thing, there would be little or no effect. "If a person sees violence continually, after a period of time he begins to accept it as being okay; an ordinary occurrence in real life," he says.
Remember the Pulitzer trial? Or the John Wayne Gacy case? People were constantly hearing the gory details on the news. But in each of these cases newscasters only reported the news, they did not stress the fact that Mr. Gacy was evil. After listening to the reports for so long and being subjected to so much blood and violence on TV, researchers have found that after a period of time these acts mean almost nothing to the heavy TV viewer.
The National Parent Teacher Association agrees, "There seem to be three possible effects of watching TV violence: "Children may become less sensitive to the pain of others, they may become fearful of the world around them, and they may be likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others."
The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence has also found that by watching a heavy amount of TV, a person's behavior can be affected in a negative way.
In the Eisenhower Report researchers conclude, "It is reasonable to believe that a constant diet of violent behavior on television has an adverse effect on human character and attitudes. Violence on television encourages violent forms of behavior."
