The Effects of TV Action and Violence on Children's Social Behavior

Abstract

Abstract The independent contributions of action and violence in television programs to children's attention and social behavior were investigated in 66 preschool boys and girls. Same-sex pairs of these children were assigned to one of four television conditions: (a) High action-high violence, (b) High action-low violence, (c) Low action-low violence, or (d) No TV. Action was defined as rapid movement by characters and objects; violence was physical aggression by characters. Visual attention was greater in high action than in low action programs; there were no differences in attention as a function of violence when action was controlled. Children were observed in free play sessions before and after viewing. Those who saw Low action-low violence TV or who saw No TV increased in imaginative, fantasy play; those who saw High action-high violence decreased in imaginative play; the High action-low violence group fell in between. There was some tendency for aggressive behavior to follow the opposite pattern—higher aggression following High action-high violence or High action-low violence than after Low action-low violence or No TV. There were no differences in activity level as a function of treatment. The results were interpreted as supporting arousal theory more strongly than observational learning theory.