The Effect of Perpetrator Motive and Dispositional Attributes on Enjoyment of Television Violence and Attitudes Toward Victims |
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| Authors: | Kenneth A Lachlan PhD Ron Tamborini PhD |
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| Institution: | 1. Michigan State University;2. Communication Department , Boston College;3. Indiana University;4. Department of Communication , Michigan State University |
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| Abstract: | Previous research (Zillmann & Bryant, 1975 Zillmann, D. and Bryant, J. 1975. Viewer's moral sanction of retribution in the appreciation of dramatic presentations.. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 11: 572–582. Crossref], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) suggests that over-retributive and under-retributive violent acts are deemed unjust, enjoyed less, and influence attitudes toward perpetrators and victims of violence. This study extends this research to examine how disposition and motive influence enjoyment and liking of victims and perpetrators. An experiment manipulating perpetrator disposition and motive for violence showed that liking for neutral targets is decreased by incongruous perpetrator disposition and motive, whereas liking for perpetrator was affected only by motive. Balance Theory is offered to explain how dispositional considerations influence the evaluation of characters and other features of a story line. |
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