By Amber McKenna
Editor in chief

Aggression ratings for media targeted at young girls are not accurate, according to recent research completed by Associate Professor of Psychology Jennifer Linder.
Beginning in 2004, Linder, with the help of associates and students, conducted surveys of 100 fifth-grade girls to discover their favorite TV shows.
The researchers then coded 77 TV shows, keeping track of the cases of verbal and relational aggression. These shows ranged from “Spongebob Squarepants” and “Lizzie McGuire” to “CSI” and “Cops.” Linder said the time-consuming process required the help of student research assistants, especially that of Kelsey Lyle, class of ’07.
Linder’s goal was to determine if the TV rating system accurately reflects not only the cases of physical violence, but other types of violence, as well. She said the current system does not keep track of acts of aggression that aren’t physical.
“Sixty percent of the shows that contain physical aggression didn’t have a rating that indicated violence or fantasy violence,” Linder said.
She revealed that the system in place does not have research backing it, and, therefore, is not valid. Linder said even the lowest rating of TV-Y7 had three times as much physical aggression as found in shows with any other rating.
“Parents who are relying on ratings to tell them what they should let their children watch are getting a false sense of security,” Linder said.
With further research, Linder found that the girls she surveyed who watched shows with a high level of verbal and relational aggression proved to reward relational and verbal aggression in their own lives.
“When girls witness relational aggressiveness being rewarded, they are more likely to imitate it,” she said.
Linder said this type of aggression is something parents should be aware of and concerned about. Also, her research found that cartoon violence is just as harmful, if not more, than violence exhibited by human character.
“If your goal as a parent is to avoid exposing your children to physical violence, this rating system is not helping,” she said. “If there is going to be a rating system in place, it should be accurate.”
Linder’s article will be published in the April/May issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and is also available online at DrDouglas.org.