Social Learning Theory
Modelling Effects
In the 1960’s, Bandura conducted a behaviour experiment to explore how when children witness a certain behaviour, they will replicate this.
In today’s society, this seems pretty obvious. So we can look at this idea in terms of how actions represented through the Media can have effect on their audiences.
Bandura called the behaviour we replicate from cinema or television; Symbolic Modelling. (PASSIVE AUDIENCES)
“Human behaviour is to a large extent, socially transmitted, either deliberately or inadvertently”
— Bandura (1973)
Video Violence
- The media relies on violence to quickly engage audience attention
| Attention factors | The video game player can control avatars to carry out violent acts. This causes a direct correlation between a certain action having violent effects. This translates into the real world and individual behaviour. |
| Players are rewarded for violent actions | Video game designers create a positive response to violent actions. For example, for so many kills in a game, the player would receive a certain score. This generates a negative action, positive response loop which feeds violent behaviour in the real world. |
| Violence is portrayed without moral justification or explanation | Violent acts featured in video games are often unprovoked or lack justification (they are casual/normalized). Perhaps this could desensitise players to violence or the effects of violent acts in their lives. |
| Video games are immersive | Video games are often played alone, without the input of others. |
| Video games are addictive | Playing video games for increased duration means that players are exposed to negative behaviours more often, this becomes addictive. |
| Realistic violence | Graphic designers have ways of making video games look even more realistic (or hyper-real). This means that the violent acts are similar to real life, meaning it is increasingly difficult to find the division between simulation and true being. |
