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Criminal psychology
Quick questions on Core studies: Cooper and Mackie (1986) and Heaven (1996) - OCR GCSE Psychology (J203)
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is aim?Show answer
To find out whether aggressive video games increase aggression in children, and whether playing the game has a different effect from watching it.
What is method?Show answer
A laboratory experiment with an independent measures design. The sample was around 84 children, aged about 9 to 11, in the USA. Children were assigned to conditions: playing an aggressive video game, watching someone else play it, or playing or watching a non-aggressive game (the control).
What are results?Show answer
Children who had played or watched the aggressive game tended to show more aggressive play afterwards than the control group. The effect was clearest for girls, who chose more aggressive toys after the violent game.
What is conclusion?Show answer
Exposure to an aggressive video game can increase aggression in children, supporting social learning theory: children imitate the aggression they observe, even from a screen.
What is q1?Show answer
Which theory of crime does Cooper and Mackie's study support? [1 mark]
What is q2?Show answer
State the research method used by Heaven (1996). [1 mark]
What is q3?Show answer
Give one weakness shared by laboratory studies like Cooper and Mackie's. [2 marks]
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