Parents’ third person perceptions – p. 17
meditation construct associated positively and significantly with the perceived
influence on other children item (not on the own child item, as in the present study).
Since the current study was not designed as a replication of the Hoffner and Buchanan
(2002) study, many uncontrolled factors could account for these divergent findings.
First, the findings of Hoffner and Buchanan relate to third person aggression-effects
of general violent content, while our own study relates to unspecified effects of a
specific offensive, and only moderately violent, youth-targeted telenovela. More
specifically, aggression was just one of several concerns with The Rebels. Other
concerns focused on the possibility that viewers will imitate sexual behavior and
interpersonal aggression (being nasty, mean and rude), concerns that are more
common but perhaps less severe in nature than physical violence. While parents may
be reluctant to think of their kids as violent and hence react to beliefs about other kids
as found by Hoffner and Buchanan (2002), parents may be more willing to believe
their kids are rude because of TV, and hence react to that belief, as found in our study.
Moreover, the use of a specific program and specific negative effects may have made
the behavior of one's own child more salient than when asked about TV violence in
general.
Second, the different studies come from vastly different cultural contexts. In
particular, comparative research (e.g. Ribak & Turow, 2003) demonstrates that Israeli
parents perceive media, and their and their children’s responsibilities vis-à -vis
harmful media content, very differently than American parents.
Third, our study was conducted in the midst of a heightened public and media
debate regarding the impact of the controversial program. This attention by the news
media and by politicians might have alerted parents’ attention to the show, potentially
facilitating the initiation of parental monitoring and intervention. In this context,
Convention