Week Seven - Gaming

Question 1

Convincing someone that violent games are bad for people?

Answer 1

We need:

• Theory
• Data
• Real-world data
• Short vs long-term effects

Question 2

Classic reasons why people do bad things?

Answer 2

MEDIA

• Heavy rock and metal
• Violent films
• Gansta rap
• Reading
• Dancing

Question 3

Link between teen killers and video games?

Answer 3

88% of adolescents play video games but only 15-20% of shooters played VVG

Question 4

Aggression vs Violence?

Answer 4

Aggression: Variety of hostile behaviours and cognitions (physical, verbal, relational)

Violence: Subtype of aggression, more intense and destructive, typically physical

These are related concepts

Question 5

Cognitive Aggression?

Answer 5

The way we think
- stem completion
- cognitive bias task (hostile attribution bias)
eg blank letters task

Question 6

Behavioural Aggression?

Answer 6

The way we behaviour

• cold-pressor task
• hot sauce task

Question 7

Theories as to why VVG might be bad for people?

Answer 7

Skinner: Reward and behaviour

Bandura: Social learning theory

Question 8

Social Learning Theory?

Answer 8

No real evidence for it for VVG as:

Modelling is not merely mimicry. Its the appropriateness of a given behaviour in a given context

Question 9

2 implications of context?

Answer 9

Videogames vs real life
- children know they're in a VG
Effects of in-game context/motivation
- violent acts in a VG are usually for a reason/reward
- this doesn't translate to real life

Question 10

The General Aggression Model (GAM)

Answer 10

Central Mechanism:
- Activation and rehearsal of scripts

Playing VVG activates scripts which suggest violence is the appropriate response.
Through playing, we get repeated activation of the scripts and repeated rehearsal of the behaviour/idea

Increases the accessibility of aggressive schemata

Question 11

Criticisms of GAM?

Answer 11

Too broad
VERY difficult to falsify
- predicts interaction b/w any person variable and any situation variable
Fictional vs. real violence
- learning theory and context

Question 12

Take home message of Anderson et al 2010?

Answer 12

VVG are bad - they stimulate aggression.

However original analyses r2 = .06 - not high

Question 13

Hilgard et al (2017 re-analysis of VVG meta?

Answer 13

r2= .02 - still 98% of aggression unaccounted for in the world

Question 14

Effect size and VVG?

Answer 14

Humans are complicated so noticing small effects is important. However, areas with small effects are prone to false positives.
Prescott: If it is .01 = is this noteworthy??
Need to look at study quality

Question 15

Self-Determination Theory

Answer 15

People are motivated to grow and change by three innate and universal psychological needs.

Needs:

• competence
• autonomy
• relatedness

helps explain eg rate quitting

Question 16

If VVGs were a problem, what might we expect?

Answer 16

• game sales increasing
• ~50% of games sold include violence
However:
- violent crime rates are dropping
- youth violence is dropping

Question 17

Are VVG bad for some people?

Answer 17

Non-violent = VVG won’t have much effect

Violent people = increases but not by much