Media and Violence

Violence is found all throughout the media. Some of the most popular television shows, movies, and video games are also some of the most violent forms of media. Long has it been debated the effects of exposure to violent media on people. We will be looking at two articles that provide insight into this debate.


An article in the examiner titled “Watching TV and movie violence changes brain function” reported on a study that examined how violent images affect the brain. Researchers used MRI equipment to monitor blood flow in the brain of 80 adults while they watched “extreme aggressive male-to-male behavior and violence in front of a crowd. “ A hormonal response to the violence was measured by taking saliva samples from the participants. In another experiment, researchers used chemicals to block stress hormones. The results showed that when participants viewed the violent images, nerve cells rearranged themselves within the brain. The brain changes in a way indicative of the stress response.


In her presentation, Media Violence and your Brain: Can exposure to Violence really Lead you to see the world through blood-red tinted glasses, Laura Stockdale found similar results regarding media and violence. Through her research of Experimental, Correlational, Longitudinal, and Cross-cultural data she found a positive correlation between violent media and aggression. She also had some startling facts. Her research suggests that the average adolescent is exposed to 11 hours of media a day. This can be starling news for a parent to hear. One can immediately begin to wonder about the consequences of such frequent exposure.

The cause of violent behavior is still not understood. A correlation between violence exposure and aggression exists but there are still others factors that we do not understand. For now, all we can do is show awareness of the type of media we allow young children to be exposed to in hopes of limiting aggressive behavior.




Works Cited:


"Watching TV and Movie Violence Changes Brain Function." Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.