Media influences on prosocial behaviour
Explanations for Media Influences on Pro-Social Behaviour
A01
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
-Children learn through watching and observing and then copying the behaviour they see
-Observation: To pay attention to someone and learn from what they say/do (something on TV)
-Imitation: To copy what someone is doing. More likely to be repeated if it is rewarded. (positive reinforcement)
-Modelling: To develop a mental presentation of the behaviour for the context in which the child is observing and imitating.
-Greenberg analysed popular children’s programmes in the US and found an equal number of pro-social to anti-social programmes in any hour.
-Pro-social acts are more likely to represent established norms than anti-social acts on TV and such pro-social acts are more likely to reinforce our social norms rather than contrast with them.
-This means that we are more likely to be rewarded for imitating pro-social acts than for anti-social ones.
Developmental Factors
-Research suggests that many pro-social skills develop throughout childhood and adolescence.
-Consequently, we may expect strong developmental differences in the degree to which children of different ages are influenced by the pro-social content they view in the media.
-Thus meaning that younger children may be less affected by pro-social behaviours in the media.
Parental Mediation
-It has been shown that parental mediation can enhance the pro-social effects of TV programmes.
-By a parent being a ‘co-viewer’ with their child, rather than the child watching alone, and the parent then discussing the anti-social concepts of the programmes pro-social effects have been enhanced.
-Rice showed that the learning effects of Sesame Street were enhanced when ambiguous material was explained by a co-viewer.
-Rosenkoetter suggested that with parental mediation children as young as 7 were able to understand complex messages in adult sitcoms.
Research Evidence:
+Poulos et al showed that
A01
Social Learning Theory (Bandura)
-Children learn through watching and observing and then copying the behaviour they see
-Observation: To pay attention to someone and learn from what they say/do (something on TV)
-Imitation: To copy what someone is doing. More likely to be repeated if it is rewarded. (positive reinforcement)
-Modelling: To develop a mental presentation of the behaviour for the context in which the child is observing and imitating.
-Greenberg analysed popular children’s programmes in the US and found an equal number of pro-social to anti-social programmes in any hour.
-Pro-social acts are more likely to represent established norms than anti-social acts on TV and such pro-social acts are more likely to reinforce our social norms rather than contrast with them.
-This means that we are more likely to be rewarded for imitating pro-social acts than for anti-social ones.
Developmental Factors
-Research suggests that many pro-social skills develop throughout childhood and adolescence.
-Consequently, we may expect strong developmental differences in the degree to which children of different ages are influenced by the pro-social content they view in the media.
-Thus meaning that younger children may be less affected by pro-social behaviours in the media.
Parental Mediation
-It has been shown that parental mediation can enhance the pro-social effects of TV programmes.
-By a parent being a ‘co-viewer’ with their child, rather than the child watching alone, and the parent then discussing the anti-social concepts of the programmes pro-social effects have been enhanced.
-Rice showed that the learning effects of Sesame Street were enhanced when ambiguous material was explained by a co-viewer.
-Rosenkoetter suggested that with parental mediation children as young as 7 were able to understand complex messages in adult sitcoms.
Research Evidence:
+Poulos et al showed that