Films with violent scenes: effect on children’s agressive behavior as expressed written compositions

Authors

  • Ana Presicla Batista
  • Lídia Fukahori
  • Verônica Bender Haydu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v8i1.3243

Keywords:

violent films, aggressive behavior, media violence

Abstract

Media violence and its effects on aggressive behavior have been a concern of several segments of society. The effects of a film with violent scenes on the aggressive behavior of children was investigated, by evaluating the difference in the level of aggressiveness expressed in compositions written before and after watching such a film. Twenty five girls and thirty one boys, aged from 9 to 12 years old andf the 4th.grade of a public fundamental school, participated in a experiment with intragroup design. First, all the children wrote a composition, given a particular plot which would begin the story. The film Mortal Kombat was subsequently shown in the classroom, and within 24 hours they wrote another story, with a different beginning plot. The compositions were judged by three university students who did not know the purpose of the study. They scored the character’s aggressiveness in the composition on a scale from 0 to 10, using their own judgment and criteria.. Analysis of this data indicated that the aggressiveness expressed on composition by girls and boys increased after watching the film. The difference was larger for boys than for girls. These results show that watching films with violent scenes increases aggressive behavior in children of both genders, when evaluated through means of written composition.

Keywords: violent films; aggressive behavior; media violence.

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How to Cite

Batista, A. P., Fukahori, L., & Haydu, V. B. (2004). Films with violent scenes: effect on children’s agressive behavior as expressed written compositions. Interação Em Psicologia, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v8i1.3243

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2004)

Section

Articles

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