Have recent studies addressed methodological issues raised by five decades of television violence research? A critical review

Media violence continues to be a concern to parents, policy makers and researchers. In spite of confidence expressed by some that exposure to television violence causes serious aggression and violent crime, critics hold that serious flaws in research methodology limits or nullifies conclusions drawn from widely-cited studies. In this paper, we will examine a series of classic studies for lessons learned about conducting media violence research, and assess whether recent publications adhere to those standards. We conclude that empirical reports with serious flaws continue to be published, compromising our ability to understand this phenomenon.

► Past research on television violence has been fraught with methodological problems. ► Only a few recent studies have improved on problematic studies from the past. ► Better designed studies produce less evidence for harmful television violence effects. ► Current data does not support a link between television violence and aggression.