The Effects Of Video Games Flashcards
(AO1) The negative effects of video games is aggression. Experimental studies (Gentile & Stone) on the link between video games and aggression have found…
Short term increases in levels of physiological arousal, hostile feelings & aggressive behaviour following violent game play compared to non-violent game play
(AO1) A positive effect of video games is prosocial behaviour, for example helping others. Greitmeyer & Oswald found that…
Participants who played the prosocial game ‘lemmings’ displayed significantly more prosocial behaviour than those who played an aggressive game (Lamers) or a neutral game (Tetris).
After 8 minutes of playing the games, participants saw the researcher accidentally knock over a cup of pencils. Of those who played the prosocial game, 67% helped pick up the pencil, whereas only 33% of those who played the neutral game & 28% of those who played the aggressive game helped.
(AO1) The negative effects of video games is aggression. A longitudinal study (Anderson et al) supports the link…
430 children aged between 7 and nine were surveyed at 2 points during the school year. Children with high exposure to violent video games became more verbally and physically aggressive and less prosocial (as rated by themselves, peers and teachers)
(AO2) Evaluation of the negative effects of video games: a major weakness of lab experiments is that researchers cannot measure ‘real-life’ aggression. Therefore…
They must use measures of aggressive behaviour that have no relationship to real life aggression, & can only measure short term effects.
(AO2) Evaluation of the negative effects of video games: longitudinal studies are able to observe real life patterns of behaviour & documents both short term and long term effects. However…
A problem for most longitudinal studies in this area is that participants may be exposed to other forms of media violence (e.g. On TV) during the course of the study, meaning that the effect from violent video game exposure alone is uncertain.
(AO2) Evaluation of the positive effects of video games: Greitemeyer and Osswald (2010) suggest that…
85% of video games involve some kind of violence. Therefore, although the content of prosocial games can cause behavioural shifts in an altruistic direction, people are much less likely to experience this type of game, partly cos they are seen as less attractive. Consequently the video game industry is less likely to produce such games (less likely to sell).
(AO2) Evaluation of the positive effects of video games - methodological limitations:
A problem for surveys in game research concerns lack of controls for young peoples prior civic commitments and prosocial activities…
The lack of random exposure to civic gaming opportunities also limits our ability to make causal claims about how games influence the development of social and civic responsibilities.
