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9) How does science reconcile the contradictory findings about television and violence?

There is actually little contradiction in the research. In 1982, the National Institute for Mental Health concluded an exhaustive review of more than 3,000 studies and concluded that there was overwhelming support for the notion that television violence increases aggressive behaviors in many children. the research and concluded. More importantly, the study concluded an important fact about television: television teaches children and therefore we must pay attention to what it teaches them . In the words of the study:

Almost all evidence testifies to television's role as a formidable educator whose effects are both pervasive and cumulative. Television can no longer be considered as a casual part of daily life, as an electronic toy. Research finding shave long since destroyed the illusion that television is merely innocuous entertainment. While the learning it provides is mainly incidental, rather than direct and formal, it is a significant part of the total acculturation process.

(See Pearl, D., Bouthilet, L. and Lazar, J. (eds.) (1982) Television and Behavior: Ten Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties, Vols. I & II (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office).