Same Time, Next Year: Aggregate Analyses of the Mass Media and Violent Behavior

This article examines the logic of research conducted on mass media portrayals of violence causing imitative response among the public. The paper argues that previous research does not meet the levels of proof associated with experimental studies that use aggregate data to make inferences about individual behavior. The article provides detailed evidence suggesting that imitation effects attributed to mass media events are simply statistical artifacts of mortality data, the timing of media events, & the methods employed in past research. The article concludes with implications for future analysis of imitative violence. (48 refs.) (AK)