What's the relationship between playing violent video games and aggression?

HDP 150

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?

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