Cooper & Mackie's Study: Video Games on Aggression in Children Flashcards
Aim
To investigate whether computer-generated games depicting a lot of violence affected children and whether they affected girls and boys differently.
Hypothesis
- Boys and girls will perceive video games differently.
- Aggressive video games will have a greater affect on children’s behaviour than non-aggressive video games.
Sample
84 children (44 males, 40 females) from fourth and fifth grades in schools in New Jersey, USA. For the experimental session, the children were paired randomly with the constraint that they were of the same sex and from the same grade. Consent was from the children’s parents.
Design
Laboratory experiment with an independent measure design. The independent Variable (IV):
(a) Whether participants were placed in the high aggression, low aggression or control group. (Participants only took part in one condition)
(b) Whether participants were players or observers (Participants were either player or observer, not both).
- Observation was used to gather data in an experimental section
- Self-report method was used to gather other data: questionnaires- video gaming experience, perception of video games and interpersonal aggression measures.
Control Variables
- Counter balancing (half of participants went to the play room first and half did the interpersonal aggression task first).
- All participants played the game for the same amount of time/play room set up the same.
- All participants were paired with someone they didn’t know so they were not influenced by their friendship.
Materials
-Four toys in the room following the first condition to measure the level of aggressive play (DV) IV's ---Missile Command=high aggression ---Pac-Man=low aggression ---Maze game (pen and paper)=control
Procedure
Week Before: questionnaire about experience with video games
1st Step-Children entered experimental room in pairs and randomly allocated high aggression, low aggression or control. One played game, the other observed (interact but not participate)- for 8 minutes. Experimenter recorded score.
2nd Step-Players to toy room-play with what they like whilst experimenter sorted some things (but was recording what they liked to play with, order and how long)- for 8 minutes. Observer to another room-measure of interpersonal aggression (a) 3 bad behaviours, asked to chose t punishments and use a red buzzer to record how much of this punishment would be given. Time of red buzzer was recorded. (b) process repeated with 3 good behaviours.
Findings
- Experience with video games:games at home 34/44 boy sand 17/40 girls.
- Perception of games: Least violent= maze game, Boys=more enjoyment playing, liked all three games, Girls=more enjoyment observing (except maze game) players enjoyed playing maze game the most.
- Effect of games play on toy:Girls=game more effect (esp missile game)-up in aggressive play and activity. Pac Man up in quiet play. Boys=down in skill play but otherwise little effect.
- Interpersonal aggression-Boys used red buzzer more than girls in both good and bad, no effects on game played. time on buzzer up over trials-greatest increase in those who had played rather than observed.
Conclusion
- Girls: measurable consequences (playing and observing) on girls’ behaviour. Playing aggressive video games=increase activity and play with aggressive toys, boys not affected.
- Girls and Boys: Playing or observing not affect behaviour in relation to interpersonal measure of aggression.
- Playing and observing affects the same.
Criticisms
- Study was conducted in an artificial setting so it lacks ecological validity
- Sample was age bias as only investigated limited age range
- Number of uncontrolled extraneous variables such as how much experienced child has playing of a game
- Aggressive behaviour was measured with a simple score for playing with an aggressive toy and punishing bad behaviour
