Media Influences on Aggression (AQA A Level Psychology)

A psychologist used a set of negative images to assess violent attitudes before and after participants played a 30-minute computer game. In a repeated measures design, 15 participants were tested before and after playing the game using a single set of images.

Explain how two sets of images could be used in this study and why this would be an improvement.

Each participant had a different total score in the before condition, where the maximum score was 40 and the median score was 23. 2 4

How many of the participants had a score < the median in the before condition? Explain your answer.

In an experiment into the effects of cognitive priming, 20 participants played an unfamiliar computer game. Half of the participants watched a violent film before playing the computer game.

The other half watched a neutral film before playing the computer game. After playing the computer game, each participant was classified as showing High Aggression or Low Aggression.

The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.

Referring to information about the study, explain two other reasons why it was appropriate to use a Chi-Squared test in this case.

Using your knowledge of research into cognitive priming, explain the likely outcome of the study.

Different participants were used in each condition of the experiment, which might have affected the results.

Explain one way in which the experiment could be changed to control for the problem of using different participants in each condition.

Outline the effects of computer games on aggression.

Briefly evaluate the effects of computer games on aggression.

Some people suggest that the media influences aggression through desensitisation.

Evaluate desensitisation as an explanation for aggression.