Effects of television violence on memory for commercial messages.

Three experiments tested whether television violence impairs memory for commercials. Participants saw commercials embedded in violent or nonvio-lent film clips. The film clips were similar on other dimensions that might influence commercial memory (e.g., arousal and involvement). After viewing a film clip, participants completed several recall and recognition memory tests. In all experiments, participants who saw a violent film clip had poorer memory for commercials than did participants who saw a nonviolent film clip. In Experiment 3, participants also reported their mood after viewing a film clip but before completing the memory tests. Anger mediated between television violence and commercial memory. Television violence increased anger, and anger, in turn, impaired memory for commercials. These results suggest that sponsoring violent programs might not be a profitable venture for advertisers. Since its introduction to American society, television has become an integral part of nearly every home. It is estimated that there are more television sets in the United States than there are toilets. Over 98 % of American homes have at least one television set (American Psychological Association, 1993). In the United States, children spend more time watching television than they spend at school, and adults spend more time watching television than they spend on any other activity except sleeping and working (Huston et al., 1992). Much of what is shown on television is violent. The National Television Violence Study I would like to thank Len Berkowitz, Bill Hoyt,