Violence causes a sympathetic response.

When repeatedly seen it becomes normal and acceptable,

no anxious behaviour comes out of it.

The child may therefore imitate the behaviour.

Weisz And Earls 1995, showed participants straw dogs, a film with a long and graphic rape scene.
They then watched a re-enactment of a rape trial.

Compared to those who watched a nonviolent film, males showed greater acceptance of rape
myths, sexual aggression, and less sympathy towards the rape victims.

The film didn’t have any effect on females.

Violence causes a physiological response, but children that watch violence become habituated to it
anxiety is reduced,

Krahe 2011 showed participants violent and non-violent clips and measured physiological arousal
through skin and conductance. Those who were habitual viewers of violent films showed lower
levels of arousal.

Disinhibition, socially acceptable, for the restraints are loosened when we are exposed to violence in
the media, usually the media justifies the violence (good cause, American propaganda).

Cognitive priming

Violent images films provide us with schemas which can be triggered by certain cues

Josephson 1987 junior ice hockey players deliberately fruistrated and shown a violent or non violent
film where the actor held a walkie talkie

After in the hockey game the boys behaved more aggressively if the referee was holding a walkie
talkie

Catharsis, psychodynamic theory that viewing violence acts as a saft valve that allows people to
release aggressive impulse.