Are Suicidal And Violent Acts By College Students Caused By Television Violence Essay, Research Paper

Psych. 57 Peter Sams

Mon. lab. 9/24/99

Are Suicidal and Violent Acts by College Students Caused by Television Violence

This is a truly important question for all college students. By answering this question we gain important insight as to where in fact violence in college campuses may come from. Research in this specific area can also help us further understand how and why suicide rates have increased for college students in this country. Many studies have shown that aggressive acts committed by young adults in this country are a product of poverty and low social stand. The view does not at all support the fact that college students commit violent acts on others and further more on them selves. By collecting data through experimentation we will be able to gain insight as to what is the cause of such aggression and violet behavior and suicide in college students.

In this experiment an equally proportionate random sample of college students will be taken from Brooklyn College. The experiment it self will have two parts. The first part of the experiment consists of a questionnaire that is given to the students. The second part of the experiment consists of having the students view a short violent film follow thereafter by a second questioner that asked how the students feel after viewing the violent film. Results from the way these questionnaires are answered by the students will help us determine if violent behavior is indeed present or if it is intensified after the students view the film. Also such evaluations may determine whether or not suicidal tendencies are developed or even enhanced by the nature of what they viewed on the film.

In this particular experiment the independent variable is gender. This is extremely important because research may show that gender may or may not be an issue that can in some way effect the results of the experiment at hand. The dependant variable here is the actually aggressive behavior itself.

In short, this experiment is expected to yield significant results in determining if suicidal tendencies and violent behavior are in fact influenced by television and the violent programs it airs. This research will help us better understand the source of the violence in college campuses in our country. It will also help us shed some light on the reasons for the increasing suicide rate in our colleges.

In getting my research together for this experiment I found an article that really helped me with some key points in putting data together. The article is, Diener,E., Defour, D.(1978) Does television violence enhance program popularity? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 36 , 333 ?

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 36 , 333 ?