Kevin Durkin

In the following viewpoint, Kevin Durkin analyzes the research regarding the link between television violence and real-world violence. He argues that case studies, experimental studies, and correlational studies all have serious flaws and have failed to prove that television violence substantially contributes to violent behavior among viewers. Durkin is a professor of psychology at the University of Western Australia and author of Developmental Social Psychology: From Infancy to Old Age.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, what are the limitations of case studies?
2. On what basis does Durkin criticize the correlational study conducted by Leonard Eron and L. Rowell Huesmann?
3. What responses to television violence does Durkin recommend as alternatives to censorship"

“The provision of media services is changing so rapidly in the final years of the twentieth century...