Media Violence and the General Aggression Model

Abstract

The General Aggression Model (GAM) is a meta-theory that considers the role of personal and situational variables on aggressive behavior, ranging from the biological to the cultural. Possible mediating variables include internal states (e.g., aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, increased physiological arousal) and the results of appraisal and decision processes (automatic and controlled). In this article, we focus on one situational variable-exposure to violent media-and how it can influence a wide array of cognitive, developmental, emotional, and social processes that can increase likelihood of aggression. Previous research has shown that exposure to violent media can increase aggression through all three internal state paths, and by increasing hostile appraisals. In this article, we use GAM as a theoretical framework to explain a wide variety of violent media effects. We also add some clarifications and extensions to GAM that research in the past 15 years has shown to be needed in the model. We also suggest new research directions in the media violence domain that we believe will be especially useful in the future."There is nothing so useful as a good theory." -Kurt Lewin (1951) We believe that the General Aggression Model (GAM) is "useful" and is a "good theory" for explaining violent media effects. Our goal in this article is to use GAM to summarize what is currently known about how exposure to media violence influences those who consume it. More specifically, we focus on screen

The effects of violent video games and shyness on individuals’ aggressive behaviors

“…The GAM suggests that aggressive priming occurs when individuals are exposed to VVGs and also causes a short‐term increase in the accessibility of aggressive knowledge structures (such as aggressive beliefs and attitudes and aggressive schemata). These aggressive knowledge structures can increase individuals’ hostile attributions (Anderson & Bushman, ; Calvert et al, ). Thus, interpreting a situation in a hostile manner can increase anger, which in turn can increase aggressive behaviors.…”

“…Therefore, priming effects should only play a role in very close temporal proximity to gameplay, and it is, therefore, difficult to observe the effects of VVGs on individuals’ aggressive behaviors over a longer period of time (e.g., >15 min). The repeated short‐term effects of VVGs could, therefore, elicit long‐term effects by developing aggressive knowledge structures (Allen et al, ; Anderson & Bushman, ; Calvert et al, ; Riva et al, ). These long‐term effects should occur over a long period of time due to the small effect size of VVGs.…”

“…In June 2011 the US Supreme Court ruled that “video games enjoy full free speech protections and that the regulation of violent game sales to minors is unconstitutional.” The Supreme Court also referred to psychological research on violent video games (VVGs) as “unpersuasive” and noted that such research contains numerous methodological flaws. Since then, a number of studies have explored the potentially negative effects of VVGs (Allen, Anderson, & Bushman, ; Anderson & Bushman, ) on individuals’ behaviors. Many have explored the effects VVGs have on aggressive behaviors (e.g., Diaz, Wong, Hodgins, Chiu, & Goghari, ; Shao, Teng, & Liu, ).…”

“…The GAM (Allen et al, ; Anderson & Bushman, ; Anderson & Bushman, ; Anderson & Carnagey, ) offers theoretical explanations of the origins and pathogenesis of aggressive behavior. This model suggests that VVGs players acquire aggressive behavior tendencies through direct and indirect experiences such as observing others, rewarded models, and subsequent imitation, reward, and punishment.…”

When Aggression Is Out of Control: From One-Person to Two-Person Neuropsychology

“…Executive functions are higher order cognitive abilities that are responsible for the regulation of thoughts, emotions, and actions [36,37]. While there are many different ways to define or describe executive functioning, it is generally thought to comprise (1) cognitive control of planning or organizing action(s), (2) monitoring a series of responses [38][39][40], (3) divided attention or attentional control, (4) abstract reasoning, (5) alertness, and importantly, (6) behavioral regulation or inhibition [41][42][43]. A recent study that used a behavioral assessment of reactive aggressive behavior (i.e., an emotion-driven impulsive act in response to a perceived threat) found that the degree to which a participant could inhibit their responses (also known in cognitive psychology as "response inhibition") was the strongest predictor of reactive aggression.…”