Psychology

Children are more aggressive when subjected to TV cartoons than when subjected to human models that act or speak in an aggressive seeking mannerism.
Method

Subjects
 
The subjects were 180 boys enrolled at Stanford University School.  The age range was from 35-70 months with a mean age of 52 months.  Subjects were broken into 4 groups of 30 kids. The children were divided into random groups whereby no specifics were noted in choosing a child for any group.
 
Two models, one male and one female, served as the role of model.  An actor was dressed up as a cartoon cat.  Two independent judges are used to record verbal and physical behaviors in 2nd room experiment.

Experimental Design
Subjects were taken one at a time into an experimental room.  The dependent variable was imitative aggression, both verbal and physical, and non-imitative aggression. The subjects in both the aggressive and non-aggressive conditions observed same-sex models.  The aggressive part of the test focused on a cartoon cat, an actor, dressed as a black cat similar to Felix or Sylvester, who exhibited aggressive behavior live or a tape, was shown to the subjects.  Subjects were either subjected to the model or the cartoon cat in the aggressive models.  In the non-aggressive test, subjects were allowed to play with potato prints, multicolored stickers, colored paper, tinker toys, a mallet, a Bobo doll, darts, or a toy gun while being subjected to either the non-aggressive model or non-aggressive cartoon cat.  No model was used in the control group.

Experimental Conditions
The participant enters the experimental room and either observes the model for 5 minutes or watches a TV clip with identical sequences of behavior for 5 minutes.  The Aggressive conditions were exhibited by the model or cartoon cat assembling tinker toys for one minute,
then aggressing toward the Bobo doll.  The model or cartoon cat sat on and punched, pummeled with a mallet, or kicked the Bobo doll.  The model verbally aggressed by repeating aggressive phrases 3 times.
 
The non-aggressive conditions were exhibited by the model or cartoon cat assembling tinker toys for 5 minutes while ignoring the Bobo doll.  The Control condition does not exist.
 
The second group was tested by the participant entering an experimental room for 20 minutes.  The room is full of all the same toys.  The number of imitative and non-imitative verbal and physical behaviors is recorded independently by two judges behind a one way mirror.

Results
Children are more aggressive when subjected to TV cartoons than when subjected to human models that act or speak in an aggressive seeking mannerism.

Aggressive Behavior
Aggressive behavior is more prominent in a fabricated setting produced by television than that produced by a live model.  The aggressive test groups responded in the Real Life test with a higher result nonimitatively to the aggressive human model by 0.5.  The test groups responded to the TV test higher nonimitatively to the aggressive cartoon model by 39.7.

Non-Aggressive Behavior
The non-aggressive test subject groups responded to the real life test with a higher score in response to the non-aggressive cartoon model by 2.5.  Non-aggressive test subjects responded to the TV test higher in response to the non-aggressive human model by 5.2.  The control model showed a higher result in real life in the nonimitatively result of 22.5 and in the TV result being higher in the non-imitative score of 22.5.
   
The measures of central tendency and testing of significant differences  X2 or t, must be  2, and p must be  0.05.  The non-aggressive test groups scored higher in both tests than the control groups.  Each aggression group evidences significantly greater amounts of aggression than the
control group.  Within the TV presentation groups there is significant interaction between human vs. cartoon aggressive model and imitative vs. nonimitative aggression.

AggressiveHuman ModelNon-aggressive Human ModelAggressiveCartoon ModelNon-aggressiveCartoon ModelNo Model(Control)Real LifeImitative  13.3Nonimitative  31.8Imitative 2.1Nonimitative23.2Imitative 4.7Nonimitative31.3Imitative 5.2Nonimitative25.7Imitative 3.9Nonimitative22.5TVImitative 22.7Nonimitative32.1Imitative 2.4Nonimitative25.0Imitative 16.2Nonimitative71.8Imitative 8.4Nonimitative30.2Imitative 3.9Nonimitative22.5
   
These results show that children are more easily aggressive by a live model, either animated or human, on TV than they are in real life.  Each non aggression group is non-significantly different from the control group.  Each aggression group evidences significantly greater amounts of aggression than control groups.  Within the TV presentation groups  significant interaction between human versus cartoon aggressive model and imitative versus nonimitative aggression.

Discussion
Children are more influenced by what they see on television than what they experience in real life. This is true with reference to cartoons vs. a human being dressed in a cartoon characters costume. Cartoons have changed from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.  Cartoons are more aggressive today.  Boys exhibit more aggressiveness than girls, but in the verbal situations, girls are quicker to respond with verbal aggression than boys.  The test results support the theory of children being influenced to the point of aggression more so by TV than by human influence.  Creative aggression is a open form of expression of assertiveness and aggression in a direct manner.  Children, both boys and girls, use creative aggression quite often, especially during play.  Creative aggression for boys is an extension of their self-discovery of being males.  Creative aggression for girls is a way for them to assert and insist that their being female does not make them inferior.  Children are too young to understand these concepts because they do not yet have the ability to think abstractly, but their actions exert these theories.
   
It is difficult to exhibit imitative aggression if the subject observed non-aggression or no model at all.  More research is needed with regard to non-aggression absent suggestion.