Media Influences on Antisocial Social Behaviour (10 marks)

One Explanation of Media influences on Antisocial Behaviour is Social Learning Theory (SLT) which says that the Antisocial behaviour seen in the media is observed, learnt and imitated. Social Learning Theory as a whole and the idea that we imitate behaviour we observe was supported by a study conducted by Bandura where children watched adults show violent or non-violent behaviour towards a bobo doll before being allowed to interact with it themselves. It was found that Children copied the behaviour shown by the adults in their condition. This supports Social Learning Theory as it shows that we do imitate behaviour that we observe and it supports SLT as an explanation of Media influences on Antisocial Behaviour by suggesting that we imitate what behaviour we see and therefore this would occur for the Antisocial behaviour we see in the media also.

Banduras study however can be criticised as demand characteristics could have been apparent in the children taking part in the study and they could have shown violent/non-violent behaviour towards the doll as they knew to beforehand and not because of the behaviour they observed. One child was even recorded saying ‘there’s the doll we are meant to hit’ on the way into the study which suggests there was demand characteristics apparent in the participants which means the results could be based on untruthful evidence.

Another Explanation for Media Influences on Antisocial Behaviour is desensitisation which says that continued exposure to violent media desensitises our psychological reactions to them. Our Brains are said to get used to seeing violence and react less and less each time.

A study which undermining study into desensitisation was carried out by Belson (1978) who looked at 1565 teenage boys and finding that high exposure to TV violence lead to desensitisation to violence or decline in respect for authority/rise in violent behaviour.

Studies into the effect of the media on antisocial behaviour can be criticised as they are all carried out into the short term effects and therefore we do not have any insight into the long term effects of the media which could be completely different to those in the short term. Also research can only show a correlation and not a cause and effect and there is a chance that it is other variables effecting antisocial behaviour within the studies rather than the media such as how the participant have been brought up.