Aggression can be defined as "behavior performed with the intent to harm another", while violence can be defined as "behavior intended to cause injury or physical harm". It would be safe to say that both of these actions took place during the London riots. Bandura and Walters (1963) believed that aggression could not necessarily be explained using traditional learning theory; where direct experience was seen as responsible for the acquisition of any new behavior. The revised social learning theory suggests that we are also able to learn by observing the behavior of others and the results of that behavior. This would suggest that many rioters were simply "copying" the behavior observed in others. Due to the large amount of television material surrounding the riots, many viewers may have been encouraged to participate by seeing existing rioters collect rewards for their actions. This is strongly supported by the Bobo doll study conducted by Bandura et al (1961), the results of which show that those within the sample who were exposed to a model who acted aggressively towards the doll reproduced a large amount of the aggression and violence they had witnessed, yet those who had experienced a non-aggressive pattern towards the doll showed virtually no violence towards the toy. Huesmann and Moise (1996) suggested five ways in which exposure to violence in the media can lead to aggression: these were; Observational learning and imitation, cognitive priming, desensitization, decreased physiological arousal, and justification. The London riots can be used to support all sections of this theory such as observational learning and imitation, as individuals are more likely to imitate behavior shown on television if they comply with the... center of paper... ssive by about 50% compared to those who watched moderate amounts. This would suggest that the link is unpredictable. Theorists such as Feshbach and Singer (1971) believe that watching violence has beneficial and cathartic effects and that the arousal caused by viewing violence in the media allows one to release repressed aggression without resorting to violence. A disadvantage of Belson's research is that it does not include the television genre watched by the sample. This may have negative effects on internal validity as it is not specific to violent and aggressive television. Works Cited Belson (1978) Feshback and Singer (1971) Bandura and Walters (1963) Huesmann and Moise (1996) Bandura et al (1961) Philips (1983) Giles (2003) Jacklin and Maccoby (1974) Hyde (1984) Newspaper The Guardian BBC news online Oxford Psychology A comprehensive textbook2