BLOG 2: Media Impact

My research project would look at children and the affect cartoons with violence have on them, versus cartoons with no violence. My hypothesis is that the children with no violence in the home who have active parental figures will show little or no modeling of the violence they witness. The children who have a history of abuse, mistreatment, or parents who do not actively participate in their lives, will show more violent tendencies sparked when viewing the violent cartoons.

First I would need to do content analysis with the cartoons being used in the study; make sure there is violence in Group V and none in Group N.

The children being observed in the laboratory setting would all need to be in the same age group, lets say 4 - 6, and have their backgrounds logged; Do they come from a violent family? Is there strong parental guidance at home?

Then I would monitor reactions in the children (raised heartbeat, modeling of violence, interaction with others...) while they watched equal amounts of cartoons from both Group V and N.

If the results correlate with my hypothesis, then it would show that violent cartoons only emphasize a child's negative upbringing and hurtful past. Thus, showing the need for a safe and protected childhood along with parents who take an active interest in what their children are doing, watching, and how they are reacting.