Violence on Childrens Television
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School
Brigham Young University, Idaho *
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Course
SOC 383
Subject
Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by schlschl
Violence on Children’s Television Group Activity
As a group, discuss and give a creative, critical, and specific response to the following questions. You will meet in Zoom, record the session, and submit the link to your group’s recording.
There is an attached Word document for you to record the group's responses
and take notes during the activity. Download the document and insert your group's answers. When you have finished the activity and recorded all your group's responses, click open below to submit the document. Each member of the group submits their own copy of the group document.
1. On your own, watch half an hour of television programming aimed at children or teens. While you are watching, note any violent
behavior that occurs during the program.
I chose to watch an episode of Sophia the First. In the episode I chose, one of
the girls went around casting spells on people. These spells were called “hexes” and were bad spells intended to harm the other person. They transformed them into animals or caused them to have negative reactions.
How is the violent behavior addressed in this program? Is it approved or rewarded, or is it met with negative responses?
In this episode, the main character addressed the young witch casting these negative spells. She explained to her that it was wrong and asked her to stop. When she didn’t stop, Sophia took the time to figure out why she was acting out towards others. Sophia asked the young witch and she discovered it was because she was lonely. The young witch had no friends, and no one seemed to pay any attention to her unless she was casting the spells. After Sophia talked to her and had the young witch apologize, people started having positive reactions towards her and started being her friend.
2. According to social learning theory, children model their behavior
according to the reactions they receive from others and the behavior they view in the media. How do you think the behaviors seen on the shows your group watched might influence children?
The reactions from the other people in the shows watched directly influenced
the behavior of others. For example, in the show that I watched, the young witch was casting mean spells on people around her because the other kids only paid attention to her when doing so. The girl wanted friends and when
those around her didn’t give her any attention, she did the only thing she knew would get their attention, even though it was negative. People around us have more influence then we would like to admit. The world we live on fluctuates with trends and popular fads in the moment. These trends are influenced by people around us.
3. Your group has become screenwriters for an educational program aimed at 8-12 year olds that airs on public television. What
guidelines toward violent content would you have for your programming?
I would want a positive moral value to be taught to the audience as an outcome. I would like the violence to be age appropriate and only occur in order to get across a positive message.
Would these guidelines be different if you were screenwriters for a superhero show aimed at 13-17 year olds? Why or why not? At age 13-17, they are a little bit older and can see more graphic and grander violence, but I still think it’s important to have a moral value or lesson come out of it. 4. According to choice theories, offenders choose delinquent activities because they think it will benefit them in some way (pgs. 58-62). Compare and contrast the choice theory approach to the social learning theory approach. (For example, you can compare what each
theory sees as root causes, outcomes, etc.)
The choice theory that was created by Dr. William Glasser is a cognitive behavior psychotherapy that focuses on the persons control over their own feelings and actions. This theory is supposed to teach the idea that behavior is driven by the desire to satisfy 5 human needs. These five needs include, the need to be loved and accepted, the need to be powerful, the need to be free, the need to have fun and the need to survive. The social learning theory approach was created by Albert Bandura is the idea that people learn from one another due to observation and imitation. This theory is also known
as the bridge between behavioralist and cognitive learning theories.
What approach would each theory take towards diminishing juvenile
violence? Would television play any sort of role for a choice theorist?
The choice theory shows that people control their own feelings and actions. I could see therapy for a person to understand their feelings. This could help those struggling with feelings to work through them and hopefully reduce violent actions. For social learning theory, having good examples out in the world, including shows and movies, there is a possibility of less violent crimes coming from those watching or viewing the media. I think television plays a huge role in peoples actions. Based on what is being viewed and seen and what people take in, it causes actions from the person viewing it.
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