Distinguishing Hypotheses From Hyperbole in Studies of Media Violence: A Comment on Markey et al. (2015)

Abstract

In alleging that Bushman et al. (2013) made sensational and unsubstantiated claims, Markey et al. (2015) mistake hypotheses for hyperbole. Moreover, in their effort to show that gun violence in PG-13 movies (for ages 13 and older) is unrelated to trends in population violence, they make unjustified demands on our data, with outcomes that are unconnected to hypothesized effects. Using outcomes in line with our hypotheses, we draw the contrary conclusion that recent trends in gun violence in youth are actually consistent with gun violence trends in PG-13 movies. Nevertheless, because we do not believe those patterns are sufficient to draw causal conclusions, we suggest more adequate tests of the hypothesis that exposure to movie gun violence affects the beliefs and attitudes of youth toward guns.

Lessons From Markey et al. (2015) and Bushman et al. (2015): Sensationalism and Integrity in Media Research

“…The main evidence Bushman et al () now present in support of their hypothesis that youth are adversely effected by violent films is a simple figure (see Figure in their response). We find it somewhat ironic, considering their discussion about the importance of examining such data with vector autoregression, that these authors themselves fail to conduct such an important analysis on these data.…”

“…We were equally surprised that Bushman et al argued that they and other scholars do not “say behaving aggressively after exposure to violent media is comparable to getting lung cancer from secondhand smoke, or osteoporosis, contracting HIV, or getting cancer from asbestos, or getting brain damage from lead‐based paint” (Bushman et al, , p. 174). Such a claim seems to be in stark contrast to the statements made by scholars (see Table ), in which violent media effects are presented as being analogous, or at the very least, comparable to these serious public health issues.…”

“…The commenters now claim that they do not intend to imply that “increases in depictions of gun violence in PG‐13 movies would lead to aggregate increases in gun violence in the adult population.” (Bushman et al, , p. 174). We find this claim somewhat suspect for several reasons.…”

“…We thank Bushman, Romer, and Jamieson () for taking the time to comment on our article Violent Movies and Severe Acts of Violence : Sensationalism Versus Science (Markey, French, & Markey, ). We believe an open dialogue is the best way to address the differences that exist between scientists on both sides of the debate concerning the role of the media in real‐world violence.…”

The Association between Sexist Games and Diminished Empathy Remains Tenuous: Lessons from Gabbiadini et al. (2017) and Gabbiadini et al. (2016) Regarding Sensationalism and Accuracy in Media Research

“…Nevertheless, it is unclear that this brief mention does anything to obviate the overall implication of direct public health worthy "harm" effects. This may be an element of what has sometimes been called the Yes I Said It, No I Didn't phenomenon in which scholars may both assert clear, alarming effects, but also include some vague qualifiers that can be used as cover if they are called out for alarmism by critics (see, for example the exchange between then Bushman et al 2015b;finally Markey et al 2015). Again to be frank, it can be easy to accuse critics of creating strawperson arguments in such a context.…”