The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 12, 1981, Page Page 6, Image 6
Aggressiver
By BETH SUNDRLA
CopyedMof
Violence on television seems to desensitize viewers to
further aggression, according to Dr. Thomas P. Cafferty, a
USC psychology professor.
"People aren't as upset by violence when they continuously
watch violence," Cafferty said.
Cafferty teaches these ideas in his psychology classes.
Although there are not any formal courses on the effects of
television viewing, he covers these topics in Psychology 430
and graduate courses at USC.
"A good deal of research in psychology, education and
communication indicates that television has a powerful
impact on people. These type of courses are concerned with
the negative impact," Cafferty said.
He also said continuous television viewing "gives a
misleading view of the world ? a distorted image of the
world around us as well. They estimate a higher likelihood of
violence than actually exists. This is especially a problem for
the elderly."
The Surgeon General has reported that children under
certain conditions become more aggressive after viewing
television aggression, and that a steady diet of television
violence may contribute to violent behavior and may increase
indifference to violence.
Cafferty said the Surgeon General's report "seems to be
quite accurate in reporting the work on television violence."
"The only objection social scientists have to the report is
that after it reviewed studies which showed a connection it
was much too mild in its conclusions," he said.
"The evidence linking television programming and
behavior is stronger than the conclusion in the Surgeon
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utjiiei di si cjwi i wuuiu icdu ua iu uciicvc, v/di ici iy aaiu.
Work in the field of television awareness goes back to the
1960s. Albert Bandura of Stanford University demonstrated
that children can learn new forms of aggressive behavior by
watching aggressive programming.
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SUM Ait by MIKE RSHEt
Television violence may have a negative effect on
[ viewers, according to a USC psychology professor. |
Bandura's work is used by the Parent Teacher
Organization and the PTA to try to stop violent programming.
Leonard Eron of Canada found that children who preferred
violent programs at ages eight to 10 were likely to be more
aggressive at age 18. Cafferty said, "This shows a
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He said, "A great deal of research has been done since
then. Not only do children learn new forms of aggression, but
children watching violence are more likely to be aggressive
after watching violent programming."
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TV Violence 1
Surveys and lab experiments are the two basic ways of
measuring the effects of television viewing on the viewer.
Cafferty said, "Surveys don't allow us to say for sure
whether one is a cause and the other is an effect. We don't
know if violent children are violent because they watch
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violent snows or 11 iney are naturally violent, ne saiu.
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Television awareness experiments try to control the causes
and the effects.
Cafferty said, "We make sure all individuals, previously
aggressive or not, see the same kind of programs. This
controls the cause; some (normally) watch aggressive and
some watch non-aggressive shows.
"Then, we observe behavior in free play setting. Children
exposed to violence show more aggression. We're pretty sure
the cause of the behavior was the show," he said.
The major networks have stopped producing some extremely
violent shows, but syndicated shows are still shown,
usually in early afternoon when children can watch them, he
said.
i
Particularly violent shows according to Cafferty are
"Starsky and Hutch," "The Untouchables," "SWAT" and ,
"Vegas."
The most violent shows on television are cartoons, which
show the "most violent acts per minute," Cafferty said.
The networks claim that it is clearly fantasy, but the im
pact is still there, Cafferty said.
Television news shows are also an area of concern.
Reporting schemes such as murder and robberies may give
other people ideas, according to Cafferty.
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