Short-Term Behavioral Influence of TV and Film on Children
Overview
This paper investigates whether television and film content has short-term effects on children's behavioral responses, specifically examining aggression and emotional reactions. The study uses a controlled experimental design where children aged 8-12 watched different TV episodes before participating in a soccer match with a biased referee to measure behavioral differences based on content exposure.
What this research paper covers
- Introduction: Overview of media influence research since the Bobo doll experiments and review of existing evidence on violent imagery
- Hypothesis: Predictions that violent/aggressive content will increase aggressive responses while peaceful content will promote calm reactions to injustice
- Methodology: Description of experimental design with twelve children from a soccer program watching four different TV episodes (Paw Patrol, Sesame Street, The New Legends of the Monkey, On My Block)
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Short-Term Behavioral Influence of TV and Film on Children
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Short-Term Behavioral Influence of TV and Film on Children
Since the Bobo doll experiments in the 1960s, the question of whether TV or film influences children's behavior remains controversial. Since then, most researchers have focused largely on violent behavior and emotional reactions to scenes within cinema and movies. For instance, in their systemic review, earlier researchers like Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005) found consistent evidence that violent imagery in TV, film, and video has a short-term influence through arousal, emotions, and fearful & aggressive behavior in children. This consistency of evidence is also reflected in the most recent systematic reviews (Guellai et al., 2022). In this view, watching emotional, unjust, aggressive, or violent scenes in children in the short term.
In this blinded research, twelve children from a soccer program between the ages of eight and twelve watched one episode each: Paw Patrol, Sesame Street, The New Legends of the Monkey, and On My Block. After watching each episode, they were immediately asked to play a short six-aside match with a promise of reward to the winning team refed by a conspicuously biased referee. The aim is to determine whether each episode influenced how the children reacted during the match. These behaviors were compared to other control matches in which the children did not watch any film before playing.