Introduction 

Describe cartoon, its characteristics

• Thompson, 2010
• Kapelian, 2009

Violent elements in cartoons

•  Potter & Warren, 1998
•  King, 2000, Potter and Warren, 1998

 

 

 

 

 

Violent cartoons and children’s perception. (Literature Review)

The reason why violence is popular in cartoons

• Hobbes ,1950
• RTUK, 2005

Children’s perception of violence in cartoons

• Hossler
• Wartella & Robb, 2007

Parents’ view of violence in cartoons

• Josephson, 1995

Research hypothesis:

Children of the same age who were exposed to more violent cartoons were more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior than those exposed to none or less violent cartoons.

 

Methodology

• Divide preschoolers into three equal groups (randomly assigned, ages 5-8, no gender difference), test them in three different rooms at the same time every day.
• Participants in the first group will watch a different episode of Ultraman every day for a week, making sure that each episode contains fighting and destruction. Participants in the second group will watch a different episode of Peppa Pig every day for a week, ensuring that the content in each episode is positive and free of violence. The third group will do what they want during the experiment, but make sure they do not watch any cartoons.
• A week later, the three groups were observed for the number of aggressive behaviors toward toys and their peer-partner during their dyadic free-play. 

Discussion

Future implications of the study:

• Look for samples with slightly larger age differences, like preschoolers and teenagers.
• Watch cartoons with your parents & watch cartoons alone or with friends.

Weaknesses of study/potential issues: 

• Children may be afraid to show aggressive behavior toward their peers.
• Different people have different levels of perception of violence

The importance and significance of this study.