Reference no: EM134007111

Assignment

In this module, we discussed several criminological theories that provide environmental-based explanations for why people engage in violence. For social learning theory in particular, one theme from this perspective is that people can learn violence from their environment. Bandura asserts that one source of learning is the mass media (i.e., television, newspapers, etc.). Although Bandura's work pre-dates the boom of video games, these types of entertainment would fall under this source of learning. However, not all social learning theorists agree that violence can be learned from the media and assert that violence is most likely to be learned from interaction and communication with people (i.e., not electronic devices).

Further complicating this issue is inconsistent research on the relationship between video games and violence. For instance, while some studies find video game play increases aggression and violence, other studies do not find a correlation between video games and violence.

What position to do you take on this topic? Do you think that individuals can learn violence and aggression by playing video games or watching violent television? Your response should NOT be based solely on your opinion (i.e., "I play violent video games and I haven't killed anyone") but your educated perspective that references and draws from the course material on social learning theory or other relevant theories.

Make sure to cite 2-3 references to support your thought, They must be from course material from textbook Profile of the Serial Offender 1st Edition by Gennaro F. Vito.