Aggression-consistent, -inconsistent, and -irrelevant priming effects on selective exposure to media violence

Abstract

Priming with aggressive concepts increases males' attraction to media violence. It was hypothesized that priming with schema‐irrelevant concepts would decrease interest relative to the effects of schema‐relevant concepts, whether or not the schema‐relevant concepts were also schema‐consistent. Thirty male undergraduates used lists including aggressive (schema‐consistent and schema‐relevant), positive or prosocial (schema‐inconsistent yet relevant), or entirely neutral (schema‐irrelevant) words to write short stories (priming task), then received an opportunity to select videotaped film clips for viewing. Subjects primed by aggressive word lists included more aggression, anger, fear, and violence in their stories than did those in the aggression‐inconsistent and aggression‐irrelevant conditions, whereas aggression‐inconsistent priming yielded more fun, helping, and joy than did other conditions. Aggressively primed subjects expressed more interest in films containing violence and hostility than did neutrally primed subjects, whereas aggression‐inconsistent priming did not differ significantly from either aggressive (schema‐consistent) or neutral (schema‐irrelevant) priming. Findings indicate that the aggressive priming activates aggressive concepts that make violence and hostility more salient to individuals. Because male undergraduates typically express interest in violence, enhanced salience leads to increased interest. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The Relationship Between Selective Exposure and the Enjoyment of Television Violence

“…Several alternative gratifications for viewing violence have been proposed [see Goldstein, ; Sparks and Sparks, ]. For example, watching violent content could help viewers reinforce their belief in a just world or could provide some sense of control in times of stress [e.g., Boyanowsky et al, ; Langley et al, ], neither of which would necessarily increase “enjoyment” as it is conceptualized here. Media violence could also help viewers fulfill expectations associated with social norms [e.g., Zillmann et al, ].…”

The Role of Graphic and Sanitized Violence in the Enjoyment of Television Dramas

“…Trait aggression has been found to moderate the effect of media violence on aggression, such that individuals high in trait aggression are more susceptible to this effect (Bushman, 1995). Many studies also have found that aggressive individuals are drawn to violent programming (e.g., Fenigstein, 1979; Langley, O'Neal, Craig, & Yost, 1992). That is, individuals who are highly aggressive are more likely to select violent programs than nonviolent programs when given a choice, and individuals who score low in aggression are more likely to choose nonviolent programs.…”

Predictive Validity of IAT Aggressiveness in the Context of Provocation

“…Studies showing the role of automatic processes typically assume an automatic and direct perception-behavior path as postulated in the auto-motive model (Bargh, 1990). That model argues that if anyone primed by an aggressive concept via subliminal priming or via a provocation automatically acts aggressively because the concept is temporarily accessible and triggers relevant cognitive activities that lead to behavior without need for conscious or deliberative decision making (Langley, O’Neal, Craig, & Yost, 1992; for a review on automatic sources of aggression, see Todorov & Bargh, 2001). However, Perugini and Prestwich (2007) suggested that the auto-motive model fails to consider the role of individual differences in the perception-behavior path.…”