Newly released research on TV violence and its lasting effects on viewers suggests courting couples might want to inquire about their prospective spouse's childhood program proclivities. Those people -- men and women--who watched the most violent TV shows as youngsters turned out to be the most violence-prone, even 15 years later, according to the University of Michigan study.
This study, unusual in that it followed people for many years, confirms what any playground monitor has long suspected: Children ape what they see. The more they see it, the more they ape it, be it Mr. Rogers or Dirty Harry. Human societies, being human, do contain inherent hypocrisies -- sinning preachers, unfaithful marriage vow-takers, movie directors professing peace while promoting gory tales, parents rudely criticizing children for rudeness. Judging by TV ratings and box office sales, entertainment audiences also contain many who don't always patronize what they say they prefer.
Most disturbing is the study's evidence that viewing violence as entertainment at an impressionable young age inseminates an acceptance of or proclivity toward violence years later. And those kids were watching "Starsky and Hutch" and "The Six Million Dollar Man"! Just imagine the later effects of today's violent special effects.
Sesame Street producers quickly realized young viewers absorb more if adults watch with them, endorsing and discussing the lessons. This suggests that parents might mute the impact of ubiquitous violent fare by conscientious discussions about their values, violence and its rarely depicted consequences.
