Using material from the study of violence in the media assess the view that the media has a direct and immediate influence on their audience

Many people believe that films and television can have an influence on audiences. They may mostly believe this because of the Jamie Bulger and Suzanne Capper murders, where the film Child's Play has been mentioned in relation to both cases though there is no evidence that the film was watched in either murders.

There have been a huge number of research studies that have examined possible relationships between viewing and behaviour. Well over 1,000 research studies have been undertaken and yet no satisfactory consensus has emerged.

Bandura did an experiment with an aim to show that imitative learning could take place despite the absence of reinforcement and award. In one experiment he used a film showing an inflatable doll being jumped, kicked and...