Our society is media driven.  We spend more hours in front of the television, playing video games, or searching the Internet than at any previous time in history. Although media has always played a role in influencing social behavior, our media has become more sexualized and violent in modern times, with declining censorship.  Observational learning is learning through imitation, and it is necessary to explore how the media may promote negative, as well as positive, behaviors by what it is modeling to our youth.

• Watch a summary of Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment .

• Prepare to discuss what effects media like television, the Internet, and video games have on individual behavior. Ensure the following points are addressed:

• • Do you believe that viewing violent media leads to aggressive behavior in children? Explain your answer.
  • Identify 3 reasons researchers propose why violent media may promote aggressive behavior
  • Identify a media source (TV show, video game, etc.) that you believe promotes pro-social behavior in children and explain your reasoning.