TV violence has “little effect”

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32819, 20 January 1972, Page 4

TV violence has “little effect”

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

WASHINGTON, January 19.

Contrary to popular belief, violence depicted on television has little effect on the young, says a United States Government report.

A group of psychologists found only a modest relationship between watching violence on television and aggressive behaviour, and said that the harmful consequences did not appear great Their 300-page report on two years and a half of extensive research, probably the most exhaustive study made on the subject was carried out under the auspices of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

The United States Government’s Chief Health Officer (Surgeon-General Jesse Steinfeld) denied that the report was a whitewash of television violence. LINK ESTABLISHED He said the report for the first time established a link between violence on television and aggressive behaviour by some young people. The report should stimulate further study of television violence.

The report says that evidence “suggests that the effect (of television violence) is small compared with many other possible causes (of antisocial behaviour), such as parental attitudes or knowledge of and experience with the ' real violence of our society. “We can tentatively conclude that there is a modest relationship between exposure to television violence and aggressive behaviour or tendencies,” it said. The panel of scientists said watching television violence caused some young persons to act aggressively. It also said that it presumed American society was more violent to some degree because people were exposed to television violence from childhood onwards.

But the panel said that the risk of harmful behaviour as a result did not appear to be great. The panel said that a survey had shown there was more violence on United States television than seen

by viewers in Britain, Sweden and Israel. It also said there was some support for the theory that television violence was encouraged, and perhaps made inevitable, by the competitive nature of the American broadcasting industry.

"LESS KILLING” But although the general prevalence of violence on American television had not changed much in the last two years, the panel said the violence involved fewer characters and there was less killing. The panel said it was not clear what the effect would be if fewer violent incidents were shown. Violent material was popular, it said, and people chose the programmes they wanted.

The scientists said that much remained to be known about the impact of television violence. They said future research should concentrate on the impact of television and other media on the very young.