The Effects Model

In the experiment:

• Children watched a video where an adult violently attacked a clown toy called a Bobo Doll.
• The children were then taken to a room with attractive toys that were not permitted to touch.
• The children were led to anohter a room with Bobo Dolls.
• 88% of children imitated the violent behaviour that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour.

The conclusion reached was that children will imitate violent media content.

• There are many problems with the experiment.
• The effect model is still the dominant theory used by politicians, (some parts of the media and some religious organisations) in attributing violence to the consumption of media texts.  
• Key examples cited as causing or being contributory factors are:-

1. The film child's play 3 in the murder of James Bulger in 1993.

     2.The game manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc.

     3.The film A Clockwork Orange (1971) in a number of rapes and violent attacks.

     4.The film Severance (2006) in the murder of Simon Everitt.

 In each case there was a media and political outeryfor the texts to be banned. In some cases laws were cheanged, films were banned and newspapers demanded the burning of films. Subsequently, in each case it was found that no case could be proven to demonstrate a link between the text and the violent acts. The effects model contributes to Moral panics whereby:

• The media produce inactivity, make us into students who won't pass their exams or 'couch potatoes' who make no effort to get a job.
• The media produces violent 'copycat' behaviour or mindless shopping in response to advertisements.