Charlton et al (2000): St Helena study

Aim:- To investigate the effects of television on children's behaviour.

Procedure:- 
Charlton and his colleagues began their study of children's behaviour two years before TV was connected to the island. This is a natural experiment because the researchers didn't have to set up the experiment themselves - the introduction of television was happening naturally.

The independent variable was television - before and after its introduction.
The dependent variable was - the childrens behaviour on the island.

Charlton collected data about the childrens behaviour using a number of methods:

• The researchers collected information on the children, using questionnaires and asking parents and teachers about the behaviour of the children.
• Observations of the childrens behaviour were made in the school playground, particularly the level of aggression the children displayed.
• The researchers' content analysed what and how much the children watched on television. They were particularly interested in how much violence the children watched and for how long.
• Video cameras were placed in the school classrooms and playgrounds to watch the children and measure the level of aggression.

Results:-
Charlton found very little difference in…