What specific findings were reported? o Were the hypotheses supported? Research

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What specific findings were reported? o Were the hypotheses supported? Research Article Violence and Sex in Television Programs Do Not Sell Products in Advertisements Brad J. Bushman Institute for Social Research,Department of Psychology, and Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan ABSTRACT-Adults (N-336) 18 to S4 years old watched ? 11 is cornminly assumed tat televised violence and sex sell television program containing violence, sex, both violence products. Although TV programs with violence and sex do at- and sex, or no riolence and sex. Programs were shoen in tract younger viewers, overall they attraet fewer viewers than a comfortable room containing padded chairs and tasty programs without violence and sex (Hamilton, 1998 Parents snacks. Each program contained the same 12 ads. Em- Television Council, 2003). The smaller audience size redu bedding an ad in a program containing siolence or sex the potential impact of an advertisement. This impact would be reduced (a) vieeers likelihood of remembering the ad further reduced if TV viewers cannot remember the product vertised brand, (b) their interest in buying that brand, and being advertised. Research has already shown that televised (c) their likelihood of selecting a coupon for that brand. violence and sex impair memory for advertised products. A These effects occurred for males and females of all ages, meta-analysis of 16 studies involving 2,474 participants found regardless of whether they liked programs containing ti- that memay fir ahertised lands was 27% lower if als were olence and sex. These results show that violence and sex in embedded in a violent program than if the same ads were em- television programs do not sell products in advertisements. bedded in a nonviolent program (Bushman, 2003; see al Bushman & Phillips, 2001). Televised sex also may impair memory for advertised brands (Bushman & Bonacei, 2002). The number one prionity in television is not to transmit quality programming to viewerns, but to deliver consumers to advertisers ?fr Sagansky, former CBS programming chief (quoted in Kim, 1994, p. 1434 A plausible cause of this memory impairment is that indi viduals have a limited amount of attention to direct toward tele vision programs (Lang, Newhagen, & Reeves, 1996). Research suggests that individuals pay more attention to violent media than to nonviolent media (Furnham&Gunter;, 1987; Lang et al.. 1996; Williamson, Klemitzki, & Killer, ?995). Individuals also ser V Most network and cable television companies are 100% sup- ported by ad revenue. Advertisers are willing to pay a lot of money for airtime. For example, advertisers paid $2.3 millne aention for a single 30-s ad airing during Super Bowl XXXVIII (Sutel, (ef, Geer, Julie, & Jackson, 1991; Geer & McClune, ?PK) 200). The goal of advertising is to present goods or services in n an evolutonary pnpetive, this makes sense. Our an- cestors who paid attention to violent and sexual cues were more an effective manner so individuals will purchase them. Televi- sion is an ideal medium to advertise goods or services because likely to survive and pass on their genes than were those who own TV sets. In the United Siates, there areto sexual or violent programs, the less attention they have ignored violent and sexual cues. The more attention viewers pay many people more TV sets than there are toilets (American Psychological Association, 1993). Television reaches more potential customers than does any other medium, and adults spend significantly more time with television than with any other medium (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2003). available for the commercials embedled in those prgrams during breaks in a program, viewers may still be devoting cognitive resourees to thinking about the program that attracted their attention so strongl vious studies beeause it tested wbether televised violenee and sex also influence buying intent ians and consumer behaviors. The present study provides an important extension over pr Address correspondence to Brad J. Bushman, Institute for Social Researl, 436?? pson St., Ann Arl ur. Misiosie-mal blushmana umich.edu. This research is important for theoretical and practical reasons 702

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

In the given study, the researchers hypothesised that increase in televised violence and sex would influence reductions in brand memory, the participants’ preference for the brand coupons as well as the intention to buy the advertised product.

The researchers found that pairing advertisements with violent and sexual television programmes negatively influenced the memory for the advertised brands during the encoding phase rather than the recall phase.

Secondly, it was found that there was no significant rise in the interest for the advertised products due to arousal caused by aggressive and sexual television programmes irrespective of age and gender of the participants.

Thirdly, the findings show that behavioral intention towards purchasing the product mediated the effect of televised violence or sex on the coupon choices of the participants.

The findings were consistent with the researchers’ hypotheses that violence and sex reduce intentions for buying the advertised brand as well as reduced the number of advertised brands whose coupons the participants chose.

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