Grand Theft Science

From a writing assignment for Honors Psychology:
 

Does media violence cause aggression? This question is as old as media itself, with medieval priests opining to the people that reading and listening to unholy things would lead to unholy behavior. The common man would do better to stick to the Holy Writ and Passion Plays and to leave the rest alone, lest they be led astray. This question comes from today’s priests in the form of psychiatrists and other medical miracle men holding up or putting down television and video games, with both sides arguing vociferously and with the stakes just as high today as then.

Pavlov's Nightmare

            Advertising is pervasive in our culture. In the beginning, advertising was direct. Burma Shave billboards populated roadsides across America and athletes advised parents and children to choose Wheaties, so they could grow big and strong. These ads were successful, but not nearly as much as today’s advertisements. Since these early days, companies have spent billions of dollars to determine exactly how to convince consumers to purchase their products. Those billions of dollars have purchased extremely sophisticated methods of delivering their message to the minds of consumers, including classical and operant conditioning. Using these techniques, companies can easily train consumers to choose or continue to choose their products, and to sway them from their competitor’s products. These companies use both classical and operant conditioning techniques to train us to purchase their products.