Post on 26-Dec-2015
more than 90% of those games often includes violence
(Times Magazine)
~90% of children in the U.S. play video games
table of contents
• No link between violent video games and aggression
• Link between violent video games and aggression– violent games exposure may change brain– violent games decreases empathy
• Limitations• Future direction
more videogame consumption = decline in youth violence rates
no link between violent video games and aggression
Ferguson (2015)
Correlational study :
• not all pieces of data were available for all years -law enforcement personnel - mean household income
-video game consumption data are only from the years 1996 and beyond
• small number of observations, so results from the time series analyses = preliminary
limitations
no link between violent video games and aggression
In 2010, Patrick and Charlotte Markey used Personality Research to review past research and analyzed using the Five-Factor Model (FFM)
high neuroticism low conscientiousnesslow agreeableness
aggressive only if preexisting disposition
violent games exposure may change brainEngelhardt et al. (2011) Bartholow et al. (2006)
Participants• 39 healthy, male undergraduates
Method• Questionnaire:
– favorite video games – rated each (1 -7)
• How often they play • the violence of the game’s content
and graphics.
Result
-reduced P300 amplitudes (controlled for initial levels of aggressiveness)
Participants• 70 undergraduates
Method• Similar to BartholowEEG, picture viewing & noise blasts
Result
-reduced in the P3 component of the event-related brain potential
-gave more severe noise blasts
Brain is desensitized to violence
violent games exposure changes brainBartholow et al. (2006)
Participants• 39 healthy, male undergraduates
Method• Questionnaire:
– favorite video games – rated each (1 -7)
• How often they play • the violence of the game’s content
and graphics.
Result
-reduced P300 amplitudes (controlled for initial levels of aggressiveness)
Brain is desensitized to violence
violent games exposure may change brainEngelhardt et al. (2011)
Participants• 70 undergraduates
Method• Similar to BartholowEEG, picture viewing & noise blasts
Result
-reduced in the P3 component of the event-related brain potential
-gave more severe noise blasts
Brain is desensitized to violence
Critiques
• Good that studied both gender but are college students representative of population?
• As we have discussed in class, does noise blast really equal to aggression?
violent games decreases empathy
-reported media habits & played 1 of 8 violent/nonviolent video games for 20 min.-watched a 10-min videotape of real-life violence while heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin response (GSR) were monitored
less physiological arousal=decrease in empathyCarnegey, et al. (2007)
violent games decreases empathy• In 2010, Anderson's group
published a meta-analysis of over 130,000 participants.
• They looked at empathy and desensitization, physiological arousal, aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and pro-social behavior.
cross-cultural comparisons between
Japan and Western countries
decreased empathy and pro-social behavior
limitations
• did not take different violent video games• which ones are more harmful than
others?• did not take different individual • personality differences• social-economic status,• education level
future direction
How significant is it?Do positive effects outweigh the
negative effects?How do we minimize the negative
effects?