Assess the usefulness of the Hypodermic Syringe model of...

Mass Media (Q) Assess the usefulness of the Hypodermic Syringe model of the mass media. The hypodermic Syringe Model (HSM) is an early theory model, which believes that there is a direct correlation between the violence and anti-social behaviour portrayed in different media types (e.g. Television, computer games and films). Sociologists found that the most venerable audience to the HSM are children and teenagers. this is because they are still in the early stages of socialization so are therefore very impressionable. A prime example to support this theory is the case of Jamie Bugler. Jamie was a 2 year old boy that was abducted and murdered by two 10 year old boys. The boys had apparently watched Childs Play 3 before they murdered†¦show more content†¦It was then suggested that by watching an exciting film aggressive energy is released into safe outlets as the viewers immerse themselves in the action. This is known as Catharsis. Further problems have also been identified with the various research conducted above in the methodology of hypodermic syringe studies (e.g. Banduras have been questioned). The studies (noted by Gauntlett) have often been completed in the laboratory which, as previously mentioned, creates low validity as they are in an artificial context and are not in a natural setting. Children especially do not behave naturally under these environments and conditions, so this can make the sociologists findings questionable. Small sample sizes are often used, which means that the findings cannot be generalised. this means that the results cannot be applied to a greater audience with confidence as some of the results may not be the same when the experiment is carried out with more people. Another criticism against the HSM is that some studies are not entirely clear on how violence is defined as there are a number of different types of violence that are put into different categories (for example, auth entic violence from war pictures compared with sporting violence such as boxing). This is associated with whether these different types of violenceShow MoreRelatedHypodermic Syringe Model1453 Words   |  6 PagesUsing material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of the Hypodermic Syringe Model of the Mass Media (33 marks) The Hypodermic Syringe Model suggests that the media are strong and the audience is weak and passive. This means that the messages the media portrays, society will instantly believe without questioning the ideas and morals behind this. The model suggests that children are more susceptible to the messages in the media and accept the information provided as they have not fullyRead MoreSociology A2 Revision 2012 34479 Words   |  18 Pagesï » ¿ Unit 3 exam: Wednesday 13th June, am Unit 4 exam: Tuesday 19th June, pm Easter Revision: tbc A2 Syllabus: AQA Sociology GCE (new specification) Unit 3: Mass Media (SCLY3) Worth 20% of your final A Level Written paper, 1 hour 30 minutes 60 marks available Unit 4: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (SCLY4) Worth 30% of your final A Level Written paper, 2 hours 90 marks available Timetable Use your revision checklists to draw up a timetable for revision leading up to the exam. Make