The hypodermic syringe model suggests that audiences passively accept messages injected by the media, and that this directly correlates to anti-social behavior. Research by Bandura found children imitated aggressive behaviors they saw acted out. This supported the model by indicating media violence can lead to copycat violence. However, the model has been criticized for oversimplifying audiences and failing to see them as sophisticated media consumers.

1. Hypodermic Syringe Model

3. Jamie Bulger- Can violent films be blamed? Jamie Bulger, a two- year old toddler who was abducted and murdered by two 10 year old boys The boys had apparently watched ‘Child’s Play 3’ before they murdered the toddler. As Bulger’s death was very similar to a death in the film, newspapers such as ‘The Sun’ began to fuel the debate as to whether such violence in the media should be accepted. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, aged 10. Found guilty of the murder, and were sentenced to imprisonment in a young offenders institution.

5. Thirty years before Albert Bandura conducted research into how we ‘learn’ to behave Imitation or Copycat Violence

6. He made a film of a young woman beating up a Bobo doll.

7. A Bobo doll is an inflatable, egg-shape balloon creature with a weight in the bottom that makes it bob back up when you knock him down.

8. The young woman punched the clown, kicked it, sat on it, hit with a little hammer and so on. She shouted various aggressive phrases

9. Bandura showed his film to groups of small children.

10. They then were let out to play! In the play room there was a bobo doll and various toys; including toy hammers.

11. Bandura watched as the kids beat the daylights out of the bobo doll. They punched it and shouted kicked it, sat on it and hit it with the little hammers.

12. In other words, they imitated the young lady in the film.

13. The children changed their behaviour in response to what they had seen on the TV! Bandura also showed the children a film of the young woman beating up a live clown.

14. When the children went into the other room, what should they find there but -- the live clown! They proceeded to punch him, kick him and hit him with little hammers.

15. Therefore Bandura concluded that violent media content could lead to imitation or copycat violence.

18. Hypodermic Syringe Model- Recap

26. Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree “ The Mass Media does have a DIRECT influence over our behaviour” Task : On your piece of paper write your name. As we go round the class come and stick your name somewhere on the board, explain why you have positioned yourself there.