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THE RELATION BETWEEN MEDIA VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSIVE PEER BEHAVIOUR

Vesna Bilić orcid.org/0000-0003-2306-5803 ; Učiteljski fakultet, Sveučilišta U Zagrebu

Sažetak

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relation of the
frequency of watching television and playing video games, and the presence of
violent contents in them, on the one hand, and direct (physical and verbal) and
indirect peer aggression among students on the other hand.
The respondents were students (N = 501; 51.9% male and 49.1% female)
of the seventh and eighth forms of elementary schools in urban and rural areas,
of an average age of 13.6.
The research was conducted in February 2010 using instruments for the
assessment of students’ media habits and Direct & Indirect Aggression Scales
(Björkqvist et al. 1992).
The results of the correlation and regression analyses show that students
who watch television more often are more likely to manifest physical and indirect
violence towards their peers (r=0.15, p<0.01 and r=0.12, p<0.01),
and those who more frequently watch violent programmes are more likely to
manifest all three forms of violent behaviour towards other students (r=0.16,
p<0.01; r=0.24, p<0.01; r=0.19, p<0.01). The watching frequency and the
amount of violent content are among the predictors of direct (physical and verbal)
as well as indirect violent behaviour against peers.
Students who more frequently play computer or video games also more
frequently manifest physical and verbal violence against their peers (r=0.28,
p<0.01 and r=0.09, p<0.05). Students who play games involving a significant
amount of violence often manifest all three forms of violent behaviour against
their peers (r=0.30, p<0.01, r=0.24, p<0.01; r=0.13, p<0.01). The frequency
of playing and the amount of violence in games are predictors of physical and
verbal violence, while the relation of playing games with indirect violence did
not appear to be significant.
The results of this and other recent research suggest that exposure to violence
in the media increases the risk of aggressive and violent peer behaviour
in the real world. It must also be stressed that what might at first glance appear
as minor statistical effects may, in fact, have serious practical consequences,
since a large part of the population is exposed to these risk factors.

Ključne riječi

media violence; video games; aggressive behaviour; peer relations

Hrčak ID:

68272

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/68272

Datum izdavanja:

15.12.2010.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 11.675 *