Gender Differences in Depictions of Social and Physical Aggression in Children's Television Cartoons in the US

Luther, Catherine A.; Legg, James Robert

doi:10.1080/17482791003629651

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Over the past 25 years, several studies have demonstrated that male characters in cartoons and other television programs are given much more prominence and appear more frequently (Aubrey and Harrison 2004;Calvert et al 2003;Thompson and Zerbinos 1995), display more aggression (Luther and Legg 2010;Signorielli et al 1995), display more planning (Browne 1998), engage in more of almost all the noted behaviors (Hentges and Case 2013) and talk significantly more (Hentges and Case 2013). Scholars have therefore suggested that representations of both male and female gender roles in children's programming are frequently too narrow and stereotypical (Leaper et al 2002;Signorielli 2001;Steyer 2014).…”

Section: Gender Role Portrayal In Children's Visual Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

et al. 2018

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Previous quantitative research examining Disney movies has highlighted that whilst prince characters display largely balanced gender profiles, princesses exhibit biased gender role portrayals—performing mostly feminine characteristics, rarely participating in rescue behavior, and concluding movies in romantic relationships with the prince. However, such research, as well as public commentary, has also suggested that princess characters in movies released across the 2000s and 2010s may have more positive gender role portrayals. This study aimed to test these assertions by utilizing content coding analysis to examine the behavioral characteristics, rescue behavior, and romantic conclusions of prince and princess characters in five iconic Disney films released between 2009 and 2016 (The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave (released under Pixar), Frozen, and Moana). Comparisons were also made with earlier titles to assess historical changes. Results showed that princesses in “2000s to 2010s” movies exhibited an almost equal number of masculine and feminine behaviors, thus demonstrating more egalitarian profiles over time. In contrast, princes appeared to adopt a more feminine behavioral profile in later movies. In addition, characters engaged in equal numbers of rescue behaviors, and princesses were more likely to remain single in “2000s to 2010s” movies. Results therefore suggest that Disney is indeed presenting more diverse, androgynous, balanced characters to viewers, and the theoretical and practical implications for the socialization of young child viewers are discussed.

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Section: Gender Role Portrayal In Children's Visual Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

et al. 2018

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“…They watched one assigned cartoon for 15 minutes per day and totally ve cartoons per week. Given that males show more physical aggression than females in childhood (Archer, 2009 Toldos, 2010), and that the perpetrators and victims of physical and social aggression are often children rather than adults in television cartoons (Luther & Legg, 2010), this study only recruited aggressive boys as participants. No participants failed to complete the experiment.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prosocial Cartoons Exposure and Aggressive Behavior in Aggressive Boys: The Potential Mediating Role of Empathy

Zhang

Cao

2021

Preprint

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Given that evidence for positive effects of cartoons has been relatively sparse, this article reports an experimental study concerning the effects of prosocial cartoons on aggressive behavior among aggressive boys (n = 160; Mage = 8.00, SD = 2.01), a population that has received relatively little attention in research literature. Boys were nominated by teachers as aggressive from three Chinese kindergartens and three primary schools. Cartoons were assessed as prosocial or nonprosocial via 100 experts, then half of them were randomly assigned to watch either prosocial cartoons or matched nonprosocial cartoons (a randomized controlled experiment). Boys in each condition watched the assigned one cartoon for 15 minutes per day and five different cartoons per week. Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) were employed to measure levels of empathy and aggressive behavior. Results showed that aggressive boys who watched prosocial cartoons reported higher levels of empathy but less aggressive behavior than those who watched nonprosocial cartoons. Specifically, ten-year-old boys reported higher levels of empathy and less aggressive behavior than six-year-old boys in the prosocial cartoon condition. The relationship between prosocial cartoons viewed and aggressive behavior was mediated by increased empathy (especially 10-year-old aggressive boys). The aggression reducing effect of prosocial cartoons indicated that training aggressive boys to be empathetic could decrease their aggression levels in educational practice.

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“…For example, Pagani, Fitzpatrick, Archambault, and Janosz (2010) found that the amount of television exposure at age 5 years was negatively associated with girls' high school grades, whereas this association was positive for boys. In addition, media tends to depict girls as perpetrators of social aggression and boys' physical aggression (Catherine & Robert Legg, 2010). In superhero viewing among preschoolers, Coyne, Linder, Rasmussen, Nelson, and Collier (2014) found that although boys spent much more time viewing superhero programs, girls with high superhero exposure increased more weapon play in future.…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of fantastical television content on Chinese preschoolers’ executive function

Jiang

Xing

2019

PsyCh Journal

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Literature has indicated the mixed impact of television content on the executive function (EF) of preschoolers. This study investigated the short‐term impact of TV fantastical events on children's EF performance and whether these impacts were different between boys and girls. This study included 143 preschoolers (Mage = 5.88 years, SDage = 0.32 years) and their parents. Participating children were randomly assigned to three groups to watch cartoons of high‐fantasy, mid‐fantasy, and low‐fantasy, and then requested to perform on a series of EF tasks. The results revealed the nonlinear pattern for the effects of fantasy on inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Specifically, children in the mid‐fantasy group did worst on inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility and no significant group differences were found in working memory. However, no conclusive evidence existed to prove the moderating role of gender on the relationship between fantastical events and EF. Finally, the implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.

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Gender Differences in Depictions of Social and Physical Aggression in Children's Television Cartoons in the US

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

Prosocial Cartoons Exposure and Aggressive Behavior in Aggressive Boys: The Potential Mediating Role of Empathy

The effects of fantastical television content on Chinese preschoolers’ executive function

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