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Brad J Bushman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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corrigendum to viewing the world through blood red tinted glasses the hostile expectation bias mediates the link between Violent Video Game exposure and aggression journal of experimental social psychology 48 2012 953 956
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2020Co-Authors: Youssef Hasan, Brad J Bushman, Laurent BegueAbstract:This is a correction to the article Hasan, Y., Begue, L., & Bushman, B. J. (2012). Viewing the world through “blood-red tinted glasses”: The hostile expectation bias mediates the link between Violent Video Game exposure and aggression. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 953–956. In the Results section, the paragraph under “Intercoder reliability” should read: “Two independent raters, blind to experimental conditions, rated on a 1-7 scale (from “not at all aggressive” to “completely aggressive”) the aggressive content of each of the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings participants listed when completing the story stems. The intraclass correlation coefficients were.74,.78, and.82 for aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, respectively (Shrout & Fleiss, 1979). Because the intraclass correlation coefficients were relatively high, the scores from the two raters were averaged. All ratings in each response category were averaged, and then further averaged across the two story stems to increase reliability.” The authors regret this error and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
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screen violence and youth behavior
Pediatrics, 2017Co-Authors: Craig A Anderson, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Joanne Cantor, Dimitri A Christakis, Sarah M Coyne, Edward Donnerstein, Jeanne Funk Brockmyer, Douglas A GentileAbstract:Violence in screen entertainment media (ie, television, film, Video Games, and the Internet), defined as depictions of characters (or players) trying to physically harm other characters (or players), is ubiquitous. The Workgroup on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed numerous meta-analyses and other relevant research from the past 60 years, with an emphasis on Violent Video Game research. Consistent with every major science organization review, the Workgroup found compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that Violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, aggressive behavior, and desensitization to violence and decreases prosocial behavior (eg, helping others) and empathy. Still, to more fully understand the potential for long-term harm from media violence exposure, the field is greatly in need of additional large-sample, high-quality, longitudinal studies that include validated measures of media violence exposure and measures of other known violence risk factors. Also, although several high-quality media violence intervention studies have been conducted, larger-scale studies with more comprehensive and longer-term assessments are needed to fully understand long-term effects and to inform the development of tools that will help to reduce problems associated with aggression and violence. The evidence that Violent screen media constitutes a causal risk factor for increased aggression is compelling. Modern social-cognitive theories of social behavior provide useful frameworks for understanding how and why these effects occur.
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the more you play the more aggressive you become a long term experimental study of cumulative Violent Video Game effects on hostile expectations and aggressive behavior
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2013Co-Authors: Youssef Hasan, Brad J Bushman, Laurent Begue, Michael ScharkowAbstract:Abstract It is well established that Violent Video Games increase aggression. There is a stronger evidence of short-term Violent Video Game effects than of long-term effects. The present experiment tests the cumulative long-term effects of Violent Video Games on hostile expectations and aggressive behavior over three consecutive days. Participants ( N = 70) played Violent or nonViolent Video Games 20 min a day for three consecutive days. After Gameplay, participants could blast a confederate with loud unpleasant noise through headphones (the aggression measure). As a potential causal mechanism, we measured hostile expectations. Participants read ambiguous story stems about potential interpersonal conflicts, and listed what they thought the main characters would do or say, think, and feel as the story continued. As expected, aggressive behavior and hostile expectations increased over days for Violent Game players, but not for nonViolent Video Game players, and the increase in aggressive behavior was partially due to hostile expectations.
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this is your brain on Violent Video Games neural desensitization to violence predicts increased aggression following Violent Video Game exposure
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Christopher R Engelhardt, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Geoffrey T KerrAbstract:Previous research has shown that media violence exposure can cause desensitization to violence, which in theory can increase aggression. However, no study to date has demonstrated this association. In the present experiment, participants played a Violent or nonViolent Video Game, viewed Violent and nonViolent photos while their brain activity was measured, and then gave an ostensible opponent unpleasant noise blasts. Participants low in previous exposure to Video Game violence who played a Violent (relative to a nonViolent) Game showed a reduction in the P3 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) to Violent images (indicating physiological desensitization), and this brain response mediated the effect of Video Game content on subsequent aggressive behavior. These data provide the first experimental evidence linking violence desensitization with increased aggression, and show that a neural marker of this process can at least partially account for the causal link between Violent Game exposure and aggression.
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much ado about something Violent Video Game effects and a school of red herring reply to ferguson and kilburn 2010
Psychological Bulletin, 2010Co-Authors: Brad J Bushman, Hannah R Rothstein, Craig A AndersonAbstract:In this article we reply to C. J. Ferguson and J. Kilburn’s (2010) critique of our meta-analysis on Violent Video Game effects (C. A. Anderson et al., 2010). We rely on well-established methodological and statistical theory and on empirical data to show that claims of bias and misinterpretation on our part are simply wrong. One should not systematically exclude unpublished studies from meta-analytic reviews. There is no evidence of publication or selection bias in our data. We did not purposely exclude certain studies; we included all studies that met our inclusion criteria. Although C. J. Ferguson and J. Kilburn believe that the effects we obtained are trivial in size, they are larger than many effects that are deemed sufficiently large to warrant action in medical and violence domains. The claim that we (and other media violence scholars) are attempting to create a false crisis is a red herring.
Craig A Anderson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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screen violence and youth behavior
Pediatrics, 2017Co-Authors: Craig A Anderson, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Joanne Cantor, Dimitri A Christakis, Sarah M Coyne, Edward Donnerstein, Jeanne Funk Brockmyer, Douglas A GentileAbstract:Violence in screen entertainment media (ie, television, film, Video Games, and the Internet), defined as depictions of characters (or players) trying to physically harm other characters (or players), is ubiquitous. The Workgroup on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed numerous meta-analyses and other relevant research from the past 60 years, with an emphasis on Violent Video Game research. Consistent with every major science organization review, the Workgroup found compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that Violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, aggressive behavior, and desensitization to violence and decreases prosocial behavior (eg, helping others) and empathy. Still, to more fully understand the potential for long-term harm from media violence exposure, the field is greatly in need of additional large-sample, high-quality, longitudinal studies that include validated measures of media violence exposure and measures of other known violence risk factors. Also, although several high-quality media violence intervention studies have been conducted, larger-scale studies with more comprehensive and longer-term assessments are needed to fully understand long-term effects and to inform the development of tools that will help to reduce problems associated with aggression and violence. The evidence that Violent screen media constitutes a causal risk factor for increased aggression is compelling. Modern social-cognitive theories of social behavior provide useful frameworks for understanding how and why these effects occur.
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mediators and moderators of long term effects of Violent Video Games on aggressive behavior practice thinking and action
JAMA Pediatrics, 2014Co-Authors: Douglas A Gentile, Sara Prot, Dongdong Li, Angeline Khoo, Craig A AndersonAbstract:IMPORTANCE Although several longitudinal studies have demonstrated an effect of Violent Video Game play on later aggressive behavior, little is known about the psychological mediators and moderators of the effect. OBJECTIVE To determine whether cognitive and/or emotional variables mediate the effect of Violent Video Game play on aggression and whether the effect is moderated by age, sex, prior aggressiveness, or parental monitoring. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Three-year longitudinal panel study. A total of 3034 children and adolescents from 6 primary and 6 secondary schools in Singapore (73% male) were surveyed annually. Children were eligible for inclusion if they attended one of the 12 selected schools, 3 of which were boys' schools. At the beginning of the study, participants were in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth grades, with a mean (SD) age of 11.2 (2.1) years (range, 8-17 years). Study participation was 99% in year 1. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The final outcome measure was aggressive behavior, with aggressive cognitions (normative beliefs about aggression, hostile attribution bias, aggressive fantasizing) and empathy as potential mediators. RESULTS Longitudinal latent growth curve modeling demonstrated that the effects of Violent Video Game play are mediated primarily by aggressive cognitions. This effect is not moderated by sex, prior aggressiveness, or parental monitoring and is only slightly moderated by age, as younger children had a larger increase in initial aggressive cognition related to initial Violent Game play at the beginning of the study than older children. Model fit was excellent for all models. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Given that more than 90% of youths play Video Games, understanding the psychological mechanisms by which they can influence behaviors is important for parents and pediatricians and for designing interventions to enhance or mitigate the effects. Language: en
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mediators and moderators of long term effects of Violent Video Games on aggressive behavior practice thinking and action
JAMA Pediatrics, 2014Co-Authors: Douglas A Gentile, Sara Prot, Angeline Khoo, Craig A AndersonAbstract:IMPORTANCE Although several longitudinal studies have demonstrated an effect of Violent Video Game play on later aggressive behavior, little is known about the psychological mediators and moderators of the effect. OBJECTIVE To determine whether cognitive and/or emotional variables mediate the effect of Violent Video Game play on aggression and whether the effect is moderated by age, sex, prior aggressiveness, or parental monitoring. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Three-year longitudinal panel study. A total of 3034 children and adolescents from 6 primary and 6 secondary schools in Singapore (73% male) were surveyed annually. Children were eligible for inclusion if they attended one of the 12 selected schools, 3 of which were boys' schools. At the beginning of the study, participants were in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth grades, with a mean (SD) age of 11.2 (2.1) years (range, 8-17 years). Study participation was 99% in year 1. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The final outcome measure was aggressive behavior, with aggressive cognitions (normative beliefs about aggression, hostile attribution bias, aggressive fantasizing) and empathy as potential mediators. RESULTS Longitudinal latent growth curve modeling demonstrated that the effects of Violent Video Game play are mediated primarily by aggressive cognitions. This effect is not moderated by sex, prior aggressiveness, or parental monitoring and is only slightly moderated by age, as younger children had a larger increase in initial aggressive cognition related to initial Violent Game play at the beginning of the study than older children. Model fit was excellent for all models. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Given that more than 90% of youths play Video Games, understanding the psychological mechanisms by which they can influence behaviors is important for parents and pediatricians and for designing interventions to enhance or mitigate the effects. Language: en
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long term relations among prosocial media use empathy and prosocial behavior
Psychological Science, 2014Co-Authors: Sara Prot, Douglas A Gentile, Craig A Anderson, Edward L Swing, Kanae Suzuki, Kam Ming Lim, Yukiko Horiuchi, Margareta Jelic, Barbara Krahe, Wei LiuqingAbstract:Despite recent growth of research on the effects of prosocial media, processes underlying these effects are not well understood. Two studies explored theoretically relevant mediators and moderators of the effects of prosocial media on helping. Study 1 examined associations among prosocial- and Violent-media use, empathy, and helping in samples from seven countries. Prosocial-media use was positively associated with helping. This effect was mediated by empathy and was similar across cultures. Study 2 explored longitudinal relations among prosocial-Video-Game use, Violent-Video-Game use, empathy, and helping in a large sample of Singaporean children and adolescents measured three times across 2 years. Path analyses showed significant longitudinal effects of prosocial- and Violent-Video-Game use on prosocial behavior through empathy. Latent-growth-curve modeling for the 2-year period revealed that change in Video-Game use significantly affected change in helping, and that this relationship was mediated by change in empathy.
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differential neural recruitment during Violent Video Game play in Violent and nonViolent Game players
Psychology of popular media culture, 2014Co-Authors: Douglas A Gentile, Craig A Anderson, Edward L Swing, Daniel Rinker, Kathleen M ThomasAbstract:A controversy exists about the effects of Violent Video Game play, with some studies showing “positive” effects on spatial attention, others showing “negative” effects on aggression, and others suggesting that there are no important effects. The present study examined neural recruitment during Violent VideoGame play among 13 late adolescent Gamers, half of whom habitually played Violent Games and half of whom habitually played nonViolent Games. Participants played a Video Game in Violent and nonViolent modes while undergoing functional MRI scanning. NonViolent Gamers had an increase in emotional response regions when playing the Violent Game; Violent Gamers demonstrated an active suppression of these same regions. In addition, nonViolent Gamers showed increases in spatial attention, navigation, and cognitive control regions, whereas experienced Violent Gamers showed no change from baseline. These results provide neurological support for both aggression desensitization and improvements in spatial attention, but not for the hypothesis that Violent Games have no appreciable effect.
Bruce D Bartholow - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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screen violence and youth behavior
Pediatrics, 2017Co-Authors: Craig A Anderson, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Joanne Cantor, Dimitri A Christakis, Sarah M Coyne, Edward Donnerstein, Jeanne Funk Brockmyer, Douglas A GentileAbstract:Violence in screen entertainment media (ie, television, film, Video Games, and the Internet), defined as depictions of characters (or players) trying to physically harm other characters (or players), is ubiquitous. The Workgroup on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed numerous meta-analyses and other relevant research from the past 60 years, with an emphasis on Violent Video Game research. Consistent with every major science organization review, the Workgroup found compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that Violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, aggressive behavior, and desensitization to violence and decreases prosocial behavior (eg, helping others) and empathy. Still, to more fully understand the potential for long-term harm from media violence exposure, the field is greatly in need of additional large-sample, high-quality, longitudinal studies that include validated measures of media violence exposure and measures of other known violence risk factors. Also, although several high-quality media violence intervention studies have been conducted, larger-scale studies with more comprehensive and longer-term assessments are needed to fully understand long-term effects and to inform the development of tools that will help to reduce problems associated with aggression and violence. The evidence that Violent screen media constitutes a causal risk factor for increased aggression is compelling. Modern social-cognitive theories of social behavior provide useful frameworks for understanding how and why these effects occur.
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effects of Violent Video Game exposure on aggressive behavior aggressive thought accessibility and aggressive affect among adults with and without autism spectrum disorder
Psychological Science, 2015Co-Authors: Micah O Mazurek, Christopher R Engelhardt, Joseph Hilgard, Jeffrey N Rouder, Bruce D BartholowAbstract:Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the public that exposure to Violent Video Games can have a pronounced effect on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirical evidence for or against this claim has been missing, however. To address this issue, we assigned adults with and without ASD to play a Violent or nonViolent version of a customized first-person shooter Video Game. After they played the Game, we assessed three aggression-related outcome variables (aggressive behavior, aggressive-thought accessibility, and aggressive affect). Results showed strong evidence that adults with ASD, compared with typically developing adults, are not differentially affected by acute exposure to Violent Video Games. Moreover, model comparisons provided modest evidence against any effect of Violent Game content whatsoever. Findings from this experiment suggest that societal concerns that exposure to Violent Games may have a unique effect on adults with autism are not supported by...
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effects of Violent Video Game exposure on aggressive behavior aggressive thought accessibility and aggressive affect among adults with and without autism spectrum disorder
Psychological Science, 2015Co-Authors: Micah O Mazurek, Christopher R Engelhardt, Joseph Hilgard, Jeffrey N Rouder, Bruce D BartholowAbstract:Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the public that exposure to Violent Video Games can have a pronounced effect on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirical evidence for or against this claim has been missing, however. To address this issue, we assigned adults with and without ASD to play a Violent or nonViolent version of a customized first-person shooter Video Game. After they played the Game, we assessed three aggression-related outcome variables (aggressive behavior, aggressive-thought accessibility, and aggressive affect). Results showed strong evidence that adults with ASD, compared with typically developing adults, are not differentially affected by acute exposure to Violent Video Games. Moreover, model comparisons provided modest evidence against any effect of Violent Game content whatsoever. Findings from this experiment suggest that societal concerns that exposure to Violent Games may have a unique effect on adults with autism are not supported by evidence.
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this is your brain on Violent Video Games neural desensitization to violence predicts increased aggression following Violent Video Game exposure
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Christopher R Engelhardt, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Geoffrey T KerrAbstract:Previous research has shown that media violence exposure can cause desensitization to violence, which in theory can increase aggression. However, no study to date has demonstrated this association. In the present experiment, participants played a Violent or nonViolent Video Game, viewed Violent and nonViolent photos while their brain activity was measured, and then gave an ostensible opponent unpleasant noise blasts. Participants low in previous exposure to Video Game violence who played a Violent (relative to a nonViolent) Game showed a reduction in the P3 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) to Violent images (indicating physiological desensitization), and this brain response mediated the effect of Video Game content on subsequent aggressive behavior. These data provide the first experimental evidence linking violence desensitization with increased aggression, and show that a neural marker of this process can at least partially account for the causal link between Violent Game exposure and aggression.
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chronic Violent Video Game exposure and desensitization to violence behavioral and event related brain potential data
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2006Co-Authors: Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Marc A SestirAbstract:Numerous studies have shown that exposure to media violence increases aggression, though the mechanisms of this effect have remained elusive. One theory posits that repeated exposure to media violence desensitizes viewers to real world violence, increasing aggression by blunting aversive reactions to violence and removing normal inhibitions against aggression. Theoretically, violence desensitization should be reflected in the amplitude of the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP), which has been associated with activation of the aversive motivational system. In the current study, Violent images elicited reduced P300 amplitudes among Violent, as compared to nonViolent Video Game players. Additionally, this reduced brain response predicted increased aggressive behavior in a later task. Moreover, these effects held after controlling for individual differences in trait aggressiveness. These data are the first to link media violence exposure and aggressive behavior to brain processes hypothetically associated with desensitization.
Christopher R Engelhardt - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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effects of Violent Video Game exposure on aggressive behavior aggressive thought accessibility and aggressive affect among adults with and without autism spectrum disorder
Psychological Science, 2015Co-Authors: Micah O Mazurek, Christopher R Engelhardt, Joseph Hilgard, Jeffrey N Rouder, Bruce D BartholowAbstract:Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the public that exposure to Violent Video Games can have a pronounced effect on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirical evidence for or against this claim has been missing, however. To address this issue, we assigned adults with and without ASD to play a Violent or nonViolent version of a customized first-person shooter Video Game. After they played the Game, we assessed three aggression-related outcome variables (aggressive behavior, aggressive-thought accessibility, and aggressive affect). Results showed strong evidence that adults with ASD, compared with typically developing adults, are not differentially affected by acute exposure to Violent Video Games. Moreover, model comparisons provided modest evidence against any effect of Violent Game content whatsoever. Findings from this experiment suggest that societal concerns that exposure to Violent Games may have a unique effect on adults with autism are not supported by evidence.
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effects of Violent Video Game exposure on aggressive behavior aggressive thought accessibility and aggressive affect among adults with and without autism spectrum disorder
Psychological Science, 2015Co-Authors: Micah O Mazurek, Christopher R Engelhardt, Joseph Hilgard, Jeffrey N Rouder, Bruce D BartholowAbstract:Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the public that exposure to Violent Video Games can have a pronounced effect on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirical evidence for or against this claim has been missing, however. To address this issue, we assigned adults with and without ASD to play a Violent or nonViolent version of a customized first-person shooter Video Game. After they played the Game, we assessed three aggression-related outcome variables (aggressive behavior, aggressive-thought accessibility, and aggressive affect). Results showed strong evidence that adults with ASD, compared with typically developing adults, are not differentially affected by acute exposure to Violent Video Games. Moreover, model comparisons provided modest evidence against any effect of Violent Game content whatsoever. Findings from this experiment suggest that societal concerns that exposure to Violent Games may have a unique effect on adults with autism are not supported by...
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this is your brain on Violent Video Games neural desensitization to violence predicts increased aggression following Violent Video Game exposure
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011Co-Authors: Christopher R Engelhardt, Bruce D Bartholow, Brad J Bushman, Geoffrey T KerrAbstract:Previous research has shown that media violence exposure can cause desensitization to violence, which in theory can increase aggression. However, no study to date has demonstrated this association. In the present experiment, participants played a Violent or nonViolent Video Game, viewed Violent and nonViolent photos while their brain activity was measured, and then gave an ostensible opponent unpleasant noise blasts. Participants low in previous exposure to Video Game violence who played a Violent (relative to a nonViolent) Game showed a reduction in the P3 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) to Violent images (indicating physiological desensitization), and this brain response mediated the effect of Video Game content on subsequent aggressive behavior. These data provide the first experimental evidence linking violence desensitization with increased aggression, and show that a neural marker of this process can at least partially account for the causal link between Violent Game exposure and aggression.
Tobias Greitemeyer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the relationship between everyday sadism Violent Video Game play and fascination with weapons
Personality and Individual Differences, 2018Co-Authors: Jeanette M Gonzalez, Tobias GreitemeyerAbstract:Abstract Previous research has shown that everyday sadism is positively related to the amount of Violent Video Game play. The present research extends this line of work by examining whether everyday sadists are attracted to Violent Video Games because they are fascinated with weapons. In fact, a survey (N = 613) showed that everyday sadism was significantly related to both Violent Video Game play and the fascination with weapons. These relationships remained significant when controlling for the impact of trait aggression and the Dark Triad (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism). Most importantly, fascination with weapons mediated the relationship between everyday sadism and amount of Violent Video Game play. It thus appears that everyday sadists use virtual weapons during Violent Video Game play to satisfy their fascination with weapons.
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the longitudinal relationship between everyday sadism and the amount of Violent Video Game play
Personality and Individual Differences, 2017Co-Authors: Tobias Greitemeyer, Christina SagioglouAbstract:Abstract Previous research found correlational evidence that the trait of everyday sadism is associated with the amount of Violent Video Game play. Due to the correlational design, the direction of the association remained unclear. According to the selection hypothesis, everyday sadists should be attracted to Violent Video Games, whereas the socialization hypothesis would propose that repeated exposure to Violent Video Games makes the player more sadistic. However, these hypotheses are by no means mutually exclusive and the relation between everyday sadism and Violent Video Game exposure could be bidirectional. To examine the causal mechanisms more closely, we carried out a longitudinal study ( N = 743) for which we collected data at two points in time, six months apart. Results showed that (a) everyday sadists are more likely than others to play Violent Video Games and (b) repeated exposure to Violent Video Games predicts everyday sadism over time. Overall, this bidirectional influence reflects a downward spiral of everyday sadistic tendencies and Violent Video gaming reinforcing each other.
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everyday sadism predicts Violent Video Game preferences
Personality and Individual Differences, 2015Co-Authors: Tobias GreitemeyerAbstract:Abstract Playing Violent Video Games has become an integral part of the lives of many people, although some people more than others may be predisposed to enjoy Violent Video Games. Two cross-sectional studies examined the extent to which everyday sadism predicts the amount of Violent Video Game play. Past research has shown that everyday sadists obtain pleasure from cruel behaviors. Hence, I reasoned that everyday sadists are drawn to Violent Video Games because killing Game characters might be an opportunity to satisfy their need for cruelty. In fact, results revealed a positive link between everyday sadism and the amount of Violent Video Game exposure. Moreover, this relation statistically held when controlling for the impact of trait aggression, the Big 5, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
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playing Violent Video Games increases intergroup bias
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2014Co-Authors: Tobias GreitemeyerAbstract:Previous research has shown how, why, and for whom Violent Video Game play is related to aggression and aggression-related variables. In contrast, less is known about whether some individuals are more likely than others to be the target of increased aggression after Violent Video Game play. The present research examined the idea that the effects of Violent Video Game play are stronger when the target is a member of an outgroup rather than an ingroup. In fact, a correlational study revealed that Violent Video Game exposure was positively related to ethnocentrism. This relation remained significant when controlling for trait aggression. Providing causal evidence, an experimental study showed that playing a Violent Video Game increased aggressive behavior, and that this effect was more pronounced when the target was an outgroup rather than an ingroup member. Possible mediating mechanisms are discussed.
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denying humanness to others a newly discovered mechanism by which Violent Video Games increase aggressive behavior
Psychological Science, 2011Co-Authors: Tobias Greitemeyer, Neil Marvin MclatchieAbstract:Past research has provided abundant evidence that playing Violent Video Games increases aggressive behavior. So far, these effects have been explained mainly as the result of priming existing knowledge structures. The research reported here examined the role of denying humanness to other people in accounting for the effect that playing a Violent Video Game has on aggressive behavior. In two experiments, we found that playing Violent Video Games increased dehumanization, which in turn evoked aggressive behavior. Thus, it appears that Video-Game-induced aggressive behavior is triggered when victimizers perceive the victim to be less human.
