media influences - video game violence

Question 1

what are experimental studies?

Answer 1

allow manipulation of variables and can measure short-term effects
- usually lab based

Question 2

what 3 methods do psychologists use to study video game violence?

Answer 2

• experimental
• correlational
• longitudinal

Question 3

what are correlational studies?

Answer 3

look for an association between two variables and can look at the short-term effects on computer games on aggression

Question 4

what are longitudinal studies?

Answer 4

investigate behaviour for prolonged period of time, look for long-term effects of computer games on aggression

Question 5

what method brings together the 3 methods that media psychologists use?

Answer 5

meta-analysis giving overall judgement of the size of the effect of violent media on aggressive behaviour

Question 6

who conducted an experimental study?

Answer 6

Bartholow and Anderson

Question 7

outline Bartholow and Anderson’s research

Answer 7

• asked 43 undergrad students, aged 18-23, (22 men, 21 women)
  to play either a violent video game (Mortal Kombat), or a non-violent video game (PGA Tournament Golf)
• all students then carried out the Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task (TCRTT), which is a standard measure of aggressive behaviour, where ppt’s delivered blasts of white noise at a chosen volume, to punish a (non-existent) opponent

Question 8

outline Bartholow and Anderson’s findings

Answer 8

• those who played the violent video game, selected significantly higher volumes, compared to non-violent video game players (5.97 vs 4.60)

Question 9

who conducted a correlational study?

Answer 9

DeLisi

Question 10

outline DeLisi’s research

Answer 10

• studied 227 juvenile offenders, with histories of serious aggressive behaviour (gang fighting)
• using a structured interview, they gathered data on several measures of aggression and of violent video game playing

Question 11

outline DeLisi’s findings

Answer 11

• found a significant correlation between violent video game playing and aggressive behaviour

Question 12

who conducted a longitudinal study?

Answer 12

Willoughby

Question 13

outline Willoughby’s research

Answer 13

• studied sustained violent video game play and adolescent aggressive behaviours, across high school years
• sample of 1,492, 50.8% female
• ppt’s were surveyed annually from grade 9-12, about their video game play and aggressive behaviours

Question 14

outline Willoughby’s findings

Answer 14

• sustained video game play was significantly related to increases in adolescents’ aggressive behaviour
• furthermore, more violent video game play predicted higher levels of aggression

Question 15

who conducted a meta-analysis of the 3 types of study?

Answer 15

Anderson

Question 16

outline Anderson’s research

Answer 16

• performed a meta-analysis of 136 studies, including all 3 types of media study

Question 17

outline Anderson’s findings

Answer 17

• found that exposure to video game violence was associated with increased aggressive behaviour
• this was the case for males and females, and across individualistic and collectivist cultures

Question 18

evaluation: low mundane realism

Answer 18

ID: experimental studies investigating the effects of violent video games on behaviour often suffer from low mundane realism
Q: this is due to the artificial tasks and highly controlled conditions of a
laboratory experiment
EV: for example, as there is no risk of retaliation in such an environment,
participants may behave more aggressively than they usually would, resulting again in a systematic error. the assessment methods of aggression are unlikely to be accurate, such as the TCRTT, used by Bartholow and Anderson, due to their artificial nature
AN: this means that mundane realism is decreased, and therefore it cannot be applied to everyday aggression, reducing ecological validity

Question 19

evaluation: DeLisi cause and effect

Answer 19

ID: furthermore, a limitation of DeLisi’s correlational study, is that a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be established
Q: correlational studies do not identify cause; lack of random allocation and controlled/manipulated variables
EV: for example, this research provides us with 2 hypotheses; the socialisation hypothesis, which suggests that aggressive media makes people aggressive, and the selection hypothesis, which suggests that aggressive people choose aggressive media.
AN: therefore, this reduces the internal validity of DeLisi’s research as a conclusion cannot be made, meaning the research is not useful and cannot be applied to real-life scenarios, reducing ecological validity

Question 20

evaluation: publication bias; meta analysis + ELAB ethical issues publication

Answer 20

ID: the main methodological criticism of meta-analysis is that they often have publication bias
Q: which suggests that publishers favour studies which show statistical significance, as opposed to non-significant results which do not show any differences between
experimental conditions.
EV: for example, publication bias means that only studies finding significant results will be included in meta-analyses, resulting in an inaccurate misrepresentation of
research into the effects of aggressive computer games
AN: this therefore reduces the universality of the causal conclusions reached
ELAB: furthermore, the publication of research into video game violence may have ethical issues.
EV: as it is a socially sensitive topic, researchers must be aware of how their findings will be interpreted by the media.
AN: this means that findings may not always be able to be published if they don’t consider their representation