The effects of 80 second- through fifth-grade boys and girls of three types of adult commentary (anti-aggressive, nonaggressive, neutral), presented during a violent TV show, were examined and compared to a nonviolent control film group. Subjects' latency in seeking responsible adult assistance when witnessing "real" aggression among…

There is evidence that violence in motion pictures viewed by children on screen or television can contribute to violence in real life, although the movies can rarely be blamed as the sole cause of anti-social conduct. Clinical reports cite instances of the effect on "susceptible" youngsters; e.g., emotionally disturbed individuals. Long-term…

College students were instigated by a confederate and then interacted with that same person on a reaction time completion task. The confederate informed half of the treatment subjects of the response strategy he intended to adopt. The other half received an irrelevant message. Subjects in both message conditions then competed against the…

This paper provides a review of Benjamin Mendelsohn's delineation of a typology of criminal victims. The typology consists of six categories: (1) completely innocent victims; (2) victims with minor guilt; (3) voluntary victims; (4) victims more guilty than the offender; (5) victims who alone are guilty; and (6) the imaginary victims. It is noted…

The factors which contribute to women's vulnerability to rape are a lack of information about and understanding of rape; women's subordinate relationship to men; socially reinforced physical weakness and passivity; isolation from other women; isolation in the community. Prevention means more than just reducing the incidence of rape or providing…

This selected annotated bibliography focuses on women as victims of violence, specifically battered wives and rape victims. Areas of concern include the history of violence, causes, statistics, legal remedies, and suggestions for reform. Case studies highlight the involvement of police, social agencies, hospitals, and the community. Summaries of…

The impact of children's reactions to punishment on subsequent adult disciplinary actions was assessed in a study in which adult women administered rewards and punishments contingent on the behavior of a child viewed on a television monitor. Following an aggressive act by the target child and punishment administered by the adult subject, the adult…

This research examines two information theoretic measures of media exposure within the same sample of respondents and examines their relative strengths in predicting self-reported aggression. The first measure is the form entropy (DYNUFAM) index of Watt and Krull, which assesses the structural and organizational properties of specific television…

Major contributing factors to delinquency appear to be: (1) the imcompetence and indifference of teachers in dealing with underachievement and misbehavior in school; (2) parental incompetence in handling discipline; (3) lack of affective relationships; (4) poorly developed family cohesiveness; (5) strong cultural or social pressures favoring…

A descriptive analysis of the socialization techniques and values for aggression of a sample of 188 parent sets from a southern Appalachia county was described. The parents were at a lower class occupation and income level. Data were collected by interviews in the home. The 57 separate items in the mother interview and the 40 items in the father…

This study analyzes data collected in the summer of 1970. Fifty-seven groups, composed of two white and two black junior high school boys, were filmed as they participated in a cooperative task. Observers scored task-related interaction and socio-emotional behavior from video tapes of each group. Attitudes and perceptions of one another and of the…

Two studies were done to examine aggressive behavior in humans. In Experiment One, adults working on a plunger pulling task could receive a 3.5 ma shock at 75% probability every two minutes. The shock was unrelated to their plunger pulling behavior. Subjects could press a toggle switch to deliver electric shock to the experimenter, who was in the…

The Report to the Surgeon General on Television and Social Behavior appears to establish that televised violence, under certain circumstances, may increase to some degree aggressive behavior in children. This finding represents a substantial advance in our knowledge, and we at American Broadcasting Company (ABC) will manage our program planning…

The Surgeon General has stated that the time is here for action, and that the data is sufficient to justify actions. A clear and present danger of the effects of televised violence on children has been demonstrated to us all. The Foundation To Improve Television is presently before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with a Petition for…

The author compares the aggressiveness of individuals who had a nonaggressive alternative available with those who did not, and assesses the interaction of the presence or absence of the nonaggressive response alternative with the opponent's pattern of attack. Results are discussed in terms of attribution and locus of control. (Author/RK)