Continuing The Effects Model

In the experiment of the Bobo Doll:

• the children watched a video here an adult violently attacked  a clown toy called Bobo Doll.
• the children were then taken in to a room with attractive toys that they were not permitted to touch.
• the children were then led to another room with the Bobo Doll in it.
• 88% of the children imitated the violent behaviour that they had seen earlier.
• 8 months later 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour.
• the conclusion reached was that will imitate violent media context.
• there are many problems with he experiment like the flaws with the methodology. the effects 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 text. 

key examples cited as causing or being contributory factors are:

• the film Child's Play 3 in the murder of James Bulger in 1993
• the game Manhunt in the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 by his friend Warren LeBlanc
• the film Clockwork Orange (1971) in a murder of rapes and violent attacks
• the film called Severance (2006) in the murder of Simon Everitt.

In each case there was a media and political outcry for the texts to be banned. In some cases laws were changed, films 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 prouce inactivity, make us into students who wont 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 advertisement.