Page 310 - Media Effects Advances in Theory and Research

11. FRIGHT REACTIONS TO MASS MEDIA 299

that had disturbed their child the most. As the child’s age increased, the
more abstract, conceptual aspects of the coverage (e.g., the possibility of
the conflict spreading) were cited by parents as the most disturbing.

Developmental Differences in the Effectiveness of Coping Strategies

Research in cognitive development has also been used to determine the
best ways to help children cope with fear-producing stimuli or to reduce
their children’s fear reactions once they occur (Cantor, 1998; Cantor &
Wilson, 1988). Developmental differences in children’s information-
processing abilities yield differences in the effectiveness of strategies to
prevent or reduce their media-induced fears. The findings of research on
coping strategies can be summed up in the following generalization: In
general, preschool children benefit more from “noncognitive” than from
“cognitive” strategies; both cognitive and noncognitive strategies can be
effective for older elementary schoolchildren, although this age group
tends to prefer cognitive strategies.

Noncognitive Strategies. Noncognitive strategies are those that do
not involve the processing of verbal information and that appear to be rel-
atively automatic. The process of visual desensitization, or gradual expo-
sure to threatening images in a nonthreatening context, is one such strat-
egy that has been shown to be effective for both preschool and older
elementary schoolchildren. In several experiments, prior exposure to
filmed footage of snakes (Wilson & Cantor, 1987), still photographs of
worms (Weiss, Imrich, & Wilson, 1993), rubber replicas of spiders (Wilson,
1987), and live lizards (Wilson, 1989a) reduced children’s fear in response
to movie scenes featuring similar creatures. Also, fear reactions to the
Hulk character in The Incredible Hulk were reduced by exposure to footage
of Lou Ferrigno, the actor who plays the character, having his makeup
applied so that he gradually took on the menacing appearance of the char-
acter (Cantor, Sparks, & Hoffner, 1988). None of these experiments
revealed developmental differences in the effectiveness of desensitization
techniques.
Other noncognitive strategies involve physical activities, such as cling-
ing to an attachment object or having something to eat or drink. Although
these techniques are available to viewers of all ages, younger children
consider them to be more effective and report using them more often than
older children do. In a study of children’s perceptions of the effectiveness
of strategies for coping with media-induced fright, preschool children’s
evaluations of “holding onto a blanket or a toy” and “getting something
to eat or drink” were significantly more positive than those of older ele-
mentary schoolchildren (Wilson et al., 1987). Harrison and Cantor’s (1999)