Effects of Video Games

Question 1

What happened in Colorado in 1999?

Answer 1

Columbine High School shooting - 13 were killed, 23 wounded by 2 students.
Killers played ‘Doom’ - 1st person shooting game.

Question 2

What are 3 of the positive effects that some psychologists say video games can have on players?

Answer 2

1. Calming effect
2. Increase in pro-social behaviours
3. Intelligence

Question 3

What effect did Kestenbaum and Weinstein say that video games could have and what study did they carry out that found supportive evidence for this? (Method, findings, 2 criticisms).

Answer 3

Calming effects - studied heavy computer game use in adolescent males and personality and psychopathological factors.
Found - computer games can have a calming effect as they can help manage conflict and discharge aggression by allowing open expression of competition.
1. Gender - beta - bias - males - can’t gen - low ext val.
2. Age - can’t gen - low ext val.

Question 4

What study did Osswald carry out into the effects of video games, and what effect did he suggest that video games can have? (Findings and 1 criticism).

Answer 4

Increase in pro-social behaviours - 67% of p’s who played a pro social game helped teacher pick up pencils compared to 28% of p’s who had played an agg/neutral game.
1. Individual differences - low int and ext val.

Question 5

Who are VS and W that carried out a study into video games having a positive correlation with intelligence and what study was it? (Method, findings, 4 criticisms).

Answer 5

Van Schie and Wiegman - 346 yr 7/8’s from Netherlands. Assessed their playing habits and then observed in free play after game playing.
Found - no correlation between time playing and aggression. Positive correlation between time playing and intelligence.

1. Small sample - low pop and ext val.
2. Age bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
3. Cultural bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
4. Correlation - cause and effect - other variables?

Question 6

What is the second study that Van Schie and Wiegman carried out into video games and intelligence and aggression?

Answer 6

278 10-14 y/o’s were studied.
Found - separate analysis of boys and girls showed that more time playing in boys correlated w/ higher levels of aggression and lower levels of intelligence.

1. Small sample - low pop and ext val.
2. Age bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
3. Alpha bias - maximising difference between boys and girls.

Question 7

What are 2 of the negative effects of video games?

Answer 7

1. Desensitisation

2. Aggression

Question 8

Who is C et al that suggested that desensitisation is one of the negative effects, and what is the supporting study they carried out that supported this? (Method, findings and 1 criticism).

Answer 8

Carnagey et al
P’s asked about their playing habits and then randomly allocated to either the V group or NV group. V group played a v game for 20 mins, and NV group played nv game for 20 mins. Both then watched a v film and their heart rate and galvanic skin response were measured.
Found - p’s who had played v game had lower heart rates and galvanic skin responses (less physiologically aroused).
1. IDG - individual differences - low int and ext val.

Question 9

What study did Anderson and Bushman carry out into the behavioural effects of violent video games?

Answer 9

Meta-analysis and measured effects of exposure to violent video games - (agg. behaviour, agg. thoughts, agg. mood, prosocial behaviour, physiological arousal).
Found - short term exposure was sig. associated w. temp increases of aggression in all p’s.
1. Long term increase?
2. Individual differences - low int and ext val.

Question 10

What are 3 of the reasons why video games can cause aggression?

Answer 10

1. Bi-directional model
2. Desensitisation
3. Interacitve media

Question 11

Who are G and A that proposed the bi-directional model and what did they say?

Answer 11

Gentile and Anderson - while video games may cause aggression, those who possess such personality traits are more likely to select to play the games.

Question 12

Who is F that said that desensitisation can cause video games to cause aggression, what did he say and what is one thing that this fails to consider?

Answer 12

Funk - those who play the games constantly become desensitised and are less likely to be bothered by real life aggression making them more likely to display it.
Fails to consider human intelligence and knowledge of moral norms. People have free will and ability to separate fiction from reality.

Question 13

Who is P and S and what did they say about interactive media and aggression?

Answer 13

Porter and Starcevic
Interactive violence is more likely to cause aggression as it conveys the message that violence is an acceptable way to deal with irritants.

Question 14

What are 3 things that occur when playing violent video games that have been demonstrated when comparing experimental groups compared to control groups?

Answer 14

1. Increased hostility
2. Lower physiological arousal
3. Aggressive behaviour

Question 15

What study did Anderson carry out that displayed why aggression can’t be studied directly? (Method, findings, 4 criticisms and 1 extra evaluative finding from Anderson).

Answer 15

210 college students played either v game or nv game.
P’s who played v game blasted each other w/ higher levels of white noise and rated themselves higher on an aggression scale.
1. Small ample - low ext and pop val.
2. Age bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
3. Correlation - cause and effect.
4. Lab - demand characteristics - low int val.
5. P’s who gave higher blasts were more likely to be aggressive in real life - may be due to upbringing not game.

Question 16

What correlational study did Gentile and Anderson carry out? (Findings, 2 criticisms).

Answer 16

600 adolescents.
Found - time spent game playing correlated with increased hostility and physical fights.
1. Age bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
2. Correlation - cause and effect.

Question 17

What did a longitudinal study of 800 Japanese children show and what does this suggest? (Method, findings, 4 criticisms).

Answer 17

800 Japanese 9/10 y/o’s surveyed twice a year.
Found - aggression was not a predictor of later violent video game playing but violent video game playing was usually correlated with later aggression - challenging bi-directional model.
Suggests other factors, e.g. personality and upbringing may not be as important as other studies suggest.

1. Cultural bias - can’t gen - low ext val.
2. Children - can’t gen - low ext val.
3. Surveys - social desirability, demand characteristics - low int val.
4. Correlation - cause and effect.

Question 18

What is one advantage and one disadvantage of longitudinal studies, such as the one of 800 9/10 y/o Japanese children?

Answer 18

A - Allow observation of patterns of behaviour and both short and long term effects.

D - p’s likely to be exposed to other variables and factors that are likely to influence the results in some way - low int val.

Question 19

What is one criticism of research into this area?

Answer 19

Violence can be subjective.

Question 20

What did Dr Tanya Byron state in the Byron report of 2008?

Answer 20

Any results into the effects of video games are as of yet, inconclusive.

Question 21

What are 2 important overall things to consider? (End of essay)

Answer 21

1. Perhaps only more violent individuals are likely to choose to play the games and then also copy the behaviours.
2. Perhaps it is not the violence but the increase of excitement/frustration that causes the aggression - lots of studies on violence and aggression but not excitement/frustration and aggression.