The Effects of Television Violence on Antisocial Behavior: A Meta-Analysis1
Abstract
A meta-analysis is performed on studies pertaining to the effect of television violence on aggressive behavior. Partitioning by research design, viewer attributes, treatment and exposure variables, and type of antisocial behavior, allows one to interpret computed effect sizes for each of the variables in the partitions. We find a positive and significant correlation between television violence and aggressive behavior, albeit to varying degrees depending on the particular research question. According to research design, we find ZFisher values ranging from .19 for survey to .40 for laboratory experiments. Erotica emerges as a strong factor even when it is not accompanied by portrayal of violence. Additionally, the effect of television violence on the antisocial behavior of boys and girls is found to be marginally equal in surveys. A host of tests are performed to solidify these, and further results. Substantive interpretation is provided as well.
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1.
1. This research was partially supported by a grant from the National Research Council's Panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent Behavior.
One of us (H.P.) would like to thank Leeva Chung, Carole Hannon, Boonchi Hongaru, and John Tedesco for valuable assistance.
A list of references to the 217 studies that were coded for the meta-analysis performed in this article is available upon request; for copies write to Haejung Paik, Department of Communication, University of Oklahoma, 610 Elm Ave., Room 101, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-0335.
2.
2. There is no justification for weighting by sample size (N), because the quality of the smaller N studies is often higher.
3.
3. We thank S. H. Chaffee for pointing out this problem to us.
4.
4. We express gratitude to one of the anonymous referees of this article for pointing out the “reassuring social significance” of this finding: He or she notes that one never crosses the street upon the approach of a mean-looking preschooler coming one's way.
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