Topic C

Aim: investigate whether aggression varied between cultures. They were also interested in the difference levels of aggression between males and females

Procedure: 400 psychology studentshalf of the students in Japan and the other half in Spainstudents were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured different types of aggression: verbal aggression physical aggression anger hostility

Findings/results:  Japanese students showed more physical aggression Spanish students showed more verbal aggression and anger males showed more physical and verbal aggression and hostility than females in both cultures males and females in both cultures showed the same level of anger

Strenghts: questions produce quantitive data, so can't be interpreted differently by researchers the students were volunteers and aware that the results would be published.--- it's ethical

Weaknesses: the participants were psychology studets and may have tried to guess the aim of the study students may have answered the questions according to how they think they would act but in real-life situation might be different

Conclusion: despite the cultural stereotypes of Japanese, they foung that the males and females are more physically aggressive than Spanish students the finding that Spanish students are more verbally aggressive is consistent with the sterotype of Spaniards being expressive study supports previous theories that males are more aggressive than females

Aim: whether people who played violent video games became aggressive

Procedure: laboratory experiment 210 students split into two groups IV---- type of video game DV---level of aggression shown after playing the game participants were told that the study was about the development of motor skills participants were placed in a cubicle and told to play againt an opponent who as in another cubicle (there was no opponent) after 15 mins they were asked to begin a comptetitive game with the opponent person who pressed the button fastest would be able to give the opponent the punishment of blast of loud noise finally, an experimenter entered the cubicle and fully debreifed participants

Results: the loudest and longest blasts of noise were given from participants who played the violent game women gave greater punishment to their oponents than men

Conclusion:playing violent games incresed the level of aggression, particulary women

Strengths: researchers had a lot of control over the participants and their experiences. It was reliable findings of this study have useful applications in the real world

Weaknesses: they may have guessed the aim of the study it's not a realistic study and participants may not have acted naturally didn't informed fully about the true aim of the study they  may have been stressed by receiving loud blasts of noise or believing that they were harming someone else with loud blasts of noise

Aim: to investigate the effects of television on children's behaviour

Procedure: began the study two year before TV was connected to the island---natural experiment IV--- television (before and after its introcuction) DV--- children's behaviour on the island researcher collected information on the children  and observed them

Results: little difference in children's behaviour before and after TV didn't have the impact it could have had in a less isolated enviroment

Conclusion: TV didn't have a siginificant impact on children's behaviour. if violence was watched it was not copied this was due to hight levels of community control and surveillance and parents' control over behaviour

Strenghts: natural experiment---greater realism--happening naturally discreet cameras were used so children would have acted naturally

Weaknesses: teacher and parents might prevent a negative perception of the children, due to the negative view that the researchers woul have of the Island. programmes watched by children contained less violence than programmes watched by mainland children

Aim: measure children's behaviour before and after TV had been introduced + compare the children's behaviour with that in other towns that did have TV 

Procedure: natural experiment

Ramirez et al (2001)

Anderson and Dill (2000)

Charlton et al (2000)

Williams et al (1981)