Gender Differences in Depictions of Social and Physical Aggression in Children's Television Cartoons in the US

Bibliographic Data

ID21190894
AuthorsCatherine A Luther (0000-0001-6117-7211), James Robert Legg
Year2010
Volume4
Issue2
Pages191-205
Publication date2010-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Children and Media (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1748-2798 • E-ISSN: 1748-2801
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17482791003629651
OpenAlexW2152570172
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited45

The main purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in depictions of social and physical aggression in children's television cartoons. With the knowledge that boys tend to commit physical aggression more than girls and that girls tend to perpetrate social aggression more than boys, it was expected that these gender differences in aggression type would be reflected in the cartoons. A content analysis of cartoons appearing on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Toon Disney was conducted. The findings showed that acts of physical aggression were more likely to be carried out by male characters, whereas acts of social aggression were more likely to be committed by female characters. Both the perpetrators and receivers of physical and social aggression tended to be children or teen characters, rather than adult characters. For a majority of the aggressive acts, immediate retribution or a defensive response did not result. Keywords: cartoonsdepictionsgenderphysical aggressionsocial aggressiontelevision

Aggression · Commit · Developmental psychology · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child Development and Digital Technology · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Psychology · Social Psychology