A survey of 394 parents and children in 2nd through 6th grades was conducted to explore the relations between parental mediation of violent television and children's generalized and TV-induced aggressive tendencies. In addition, explanations for why mediation is related to aggression were sought by exploring a number of intervening variables. It was found that parental active mediation and restrictive mediation were both negatively related to children's generalized and TV-induced aggressive inclinations, whereas parental coviewing was positively related to children's TV-induced aggressive tendencies. The data also revealed that parental mediation works by first influencing either how important children perceive violent TV to be or how much attention they grant this content, which, in turn, influences aggressive tendencies. Hence, parental mediation seems to socialize children into an orientation toward TV that makes them less vulnerable to negative effects.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Austin, E. W.
(1993). Exploring the effects of active parental mediation of television content. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 37, 147-158.
2.
Austin, E. W.
, Fujioka, Y., Bolls, P., & Engelbertson, J. (1996, August). Taking on the tube: An examination of parents' media behaviors, attitudes and discussion regarding television. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Anaheim, CA.
3.
Baron, R. M.
, & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
4.
Bybee, C.
, Robinson, D., & Turow, J. (1982). Determinants of parental guidance of children's television viewing for a special subgroup: Mass media scholars. Journal of Broadcasting, 26, 697-710.
5.
Cantor, J.
, Harrison, K., & Nathanson, A. (1997). Ratings and advisories for television programming. In Center for Communication and Social Policy (Ed.), National television violence study (Vol. 2, pp.267-322). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
6.
Cantor, J.
, & Nathanson, A. I. (1997). Predictors of children's interest in violent television programs. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 41, 155-167.
7.
Cohen, J.
, & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression / correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
8.
Collins, W. A.
, Sobol, B. L., & Westby, S. (1981). Effects of adult commentary on children's comprehension and inferences about a televised aggressive portrayal. Child Development, 52, 158-163.
9.
Corder-Bolz, C. R.
(1980). Mediation: The role of significant others. Journal of Communication, 30(3), 106-118.
10.
Desmond, R. J.
, Singer, J. L., & Singer, D. G. (1990). Family mediation: Parental communication patterns and the influence of television on children. In J. Bryant (Ed.), Television and the American family (pp. 293-309). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
11.
Desmond, R. J.
, Singer, J. L., Singer, D. G., Calam, R., & Colimore, K. (1985). Family mediation patterns and television viewing: Young children's use and grasp of the medium. Human Communication Research, 11, 461-480.
12.
Dishion, T. J.
(1990). The family ecology of boys' peer relations in middle childhood. Child Development, 61, 874-892.
13.
Dorr, A.
, Kovaric, P., & Doubleday, C. (1989). Parent-child coviewing of television. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 33, 35-51.
14.
Haefner, M. J.
, & Wartella, E. A. (1987). Effects of sibling coviewing on children's interpretations of television programs. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 31, 153-168.
15.
Hicks, D. J.
(1968). Effects of co-observer's sanctions and adult presence on imitative aggression. Child Development, 39, 303-309.
16.
Horton, R. W.
, & Santogrossi, D. A. (1978). The effect of adult commentary on reducing the influence of televised violence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 337-340.
17.
Kearney, K. A.
, Hopkins, R. H., Mauss, A. L., & Weisheit, R. A. (1983). Sample bias resulting form a requirement for written parental consent. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47, 96-102.
18.
Kim, J.
, & Rubin, A. M. (1997). The variable influence of audience activity on media effects. Communication Research, 24, 107-135.
19.
Lin, C. A.
, & Atkin, D. J. (1989). Parental mediation and rulemaking for adolescent use of television and VCRs. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 33, 53-67.
20.
Messaris, P.
, & Kerr, D. (1984). TV-related mother-child interaction and children's perceptions of TV characters. Journalism Quarterly, 61, 662-666.
21.
Nathanson, A. I.
(1997, May). The relationship between parental mediation and children's anti- and pro-social motivations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
22.
Nathanson, A. I. (1998). The immediate and cumulative effects of television mediation on children's aggression. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
23.
Nathanson, A. I.
, & Cantor, J. (1999, May). Reducing the aggression-promoting effect of violent cartoons by increasing children's fictioned involvement with the victim. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, San Francisco.
24.
Putallaz, M.
(1987). Maternal behavior and children's sociometric status. Child Development, 58, 324-340.
25.
Rothschild, N.
, & Morgan, M. (1987). Cohesion and control: Adolescents' relationships with parents as mediators of television. Journal of Early Adolescence, 7, 299-314.
26.
Rubin, A. M.
, & Perse, E. M. (1987). Audience activity and soap opera involvement: A uses and effects investigation. Human Communication Research, 14, 246-268.
27.
Salomon, G.
, & Leigh, T. (1984). Predispositions about learning from print and television. Journal of Communication, 34(2), 119-135.
28.
Singer, J. L.
, & Singer, D. G. (1985). Television-viewing and family communication style as predictors of children's emotional behavior. Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 17, 75-91.
29.
Snow, R. P.
(1974). How children interpret TV violence in play context. Journalism Quarterly, 51, 13-21.
30.
Valkenburg, P. M.
, Krcmar, M., Peeters, A. L., & Marseille, N. M. (in press). Developing a scale to assess three styles of television mediation: “Active mediation,”“restrictive mediation,” and “social coviewing.”Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
31.
van der Voort, T.H.A.
(1986). Television violence: A child's eye view. New York: Elsevier Science.
32.
van der Voort, T.H.A.
, Nikken, P., & van Lil, J. E. (1992). Determinants of parental guidance of children's television viewing: A Dutch replication study. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media,36, 61-74.
33.
Wilson, B. J.
, & Weiss, A. J. (1993). The effects of sibling coviewing on preschoolers' reactions to a suspenseful movie scene. Communication Research, 20, 214-248.
