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The Invention of Television as a Cause of Homicide

The Reification of a Spurious Relationship

Vanderbilt University

Among the studies cited by several medical associations as a guide for warning parents about the pernicious effects of television is Brandon Centerwall's (1992) analysis of the effect of the invention and distribution of television on homicide rates. Centerwall claims that the introduction of television substantially increased homicide rates in the United States and Canada and that they remained relatively stable in South Africa until the ban on television was lifted. This article reports the results of a multivariate time-series analysis testing the alternative hypothesis that relationships involving primary groups are more important for understanding variations in homicide over time than the spread of television in a society. This hypothesis is supported in all three societies, with the significant positive effect of television reduced to insignificance after incorporating marriage-divorce ratios, divorce rates, and other variables. These findings constitute a serious challenge to Centerwall's thesis but continue to support traditional sociological perspectives.

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