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Violent Video Games and Aggression Causal Relationship or Byproduct of Family Violence and Intrinsic Violence Motivation?
Abstract
Two studies examined the relationship between exposure to violent video games and aggression or violence in the laboratory and in real life. Study 1 participants were either randomized or allowed to choose to play a violent or nonviolent game. Although males were more aggressive than females, neither randomized exposure to violent-video-game conditions nor previous real-life exposure to violent video games caused any differences in aggression. Study 2 examined correlations between trait aggression, violent criminal acts, and exposure to both violent games and family violence. Results indicated that trait aggression, family violence, and male gender were predictive of violent crime, but exposure to violent games was not. Structural equation modeling suggested that family violence and innate aggression as predictors of violent crime were a better fit to the data than was exposure to video game violence. These results question the common belief that violent-video-game exposure causes violent acts.
... Bushman and Anderson (2023) note that future studies should make attempts to reduce potential demand effects through suspicion checks or the use of overt measures. Critics have also commented that many studies fail to control key extraneous variables such as individual differences in trait anger or exposure to family violence (Ferguson et al., 2008a). Bushman and Anderson (2023), however, suggest that it may be inappropriate to statistically control all possible extraneous variables, as in many cases, researchers may be parsing out variance from their own dependant variable. ...
... Despite evidence of an association between violent gaming and aggressive behaviour (for meta-analytic support, please see Anderson et al., 2010), the methodological approach taken in these studies has been criticized and the validity of reported effects remains controversial (for a critical review, please see Ferguson, 2020), and questions remain about the potential neurocognitive mechanism involved and role of individual differences (e.g. Ferguson et al., 2008a). To help overcome some of these concerns, the current study examined whether acute and cumulative violent videogame exposure was associated with abnormalities in neurocognitive markers of emotional empathy, and whether any observed effects varied as a function of traitempathy. ...
... In the past, the violent gaming literature has been criticized for failing to consider or control for the impact of extraneous variables such as individual differences on observed effects (Ferguson et al., 2008a). From a trait perspective, empathy scores have been shown to partially mediate the association between violent gaming and reductions in prosocial behaviour (e.g. ...
Research examining the purported association between violent gaming and aggression remains controversial due to concerns related to methodology, unclear neurocognitive mechanisms, and the failure to adequately consider the role of individual differences in susceptibility. To help address these concerns, we used fMRI and an emotional empathy task to examine whether acute and cumulative violent gaming exposure were associated with abnormalities in emotional empathy as a function of trait-empathy. Emotional empathy was targeted given its involvement in regulating not only aggression, but also other important social functions such as compassion and prosocial behaviour. We hypothesized that violent media exposure increases the risk of aberrant social behaviour by altering the aversive value of distress cues. Contrary to expectations, neither behavioural ratings nor empathy-related brain activity varied as a function of violent gaming exposure. Notably, however, activation patterns in somatosensory and motor cortices reflected an interaction between violent media exposure and trait empathy. Thus, our results are inconsistent with a straightforward relationship between violent media exposure and reduced empathy. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of considering both individual differences in susceptibility, and other aspects of cognition related to social functioning to best inform public concern regarding safe gaming practices.
... Although studies have explored the functions of self-harm harm and different theories have been developed to explain aggression (Anderson and Bushman, 2002;Ferguson et al., 2008;Plutchik, 1995), there is a lack of consensus in the literature on a conceptual understanding of dual harm. The diathesis-stress theory of aggression suggests that early adverse experiences interact with biological factors and lead to aggression (Ferguson et al., 2008). ...
... Although studies have explored the functions of self-harm harm and different theories have been developed to explain aggression (Anderson and Bushman, 2002;Ferguson et al., 2008;Plutchik, 1995), there is a lack of consensus in the literature on a conceptual understanding of dual harm. The diathesis-stress theory of aggression suggests that early adverse experiences interact with biological factors and lead to aggression (Ferguson et al., 2008). According to this model, the pathway to aggressive behaviors is largely biological. ...
... According to this model, the pathway to aggressive behaviors is largely biological. It proposes that environmental factors moderate the influence of biological factors which may lead to an aggressive personality style (Ferguson et al., 2008). Thus, times of stress may act as catalysts to aggression for individuals with a propensity to react aggressively (Ferguson et al., 2008). ...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the literature on the variables associated with self-harm and aggression in women who committed a criminal offence.
Design/methodology/approach – Studies were identified through online databases, namely, PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC and EBSCOhost, as well as manual searches of reference lists of the selected studies. The target population included women who committed a criminal offence and have engaged in self-harm and aggressive behaviors during their incarceration, either in correctional institutions or in forensic psychiatric settings.
Findings – Of the 1,178 studies identified, nine met inclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in six different countries and included data from 6360 female participants. Few studies examine self-harm and aggression in women who committed a criminal offence which speaks to the still sparse literature on this topic. This review of the association between self-harm and aggression in women offenders highlights the finding that a small group of women is often involved in both self-harm and aggression. The authors have identified possible psychological factors associated with women engaging in both self-harm and aggression. The findings also reveal a possible connection between types of aggressive behaviors and specific time periods during sentences or stays in forensic psychiatry.
Practical implications – The findings of this scoping review have clinical implications which may be considered by both researchers and the case management teams of women involved in both self-harm and aggression.
Originality/value – Despite the limited number of studies examining self-harm and aggression in women, this scoping review highlights gaps in the literature as well as notable psychological correlates of women who engage in self-harm and aggression.
... The argument from authority (pp. 365-366) Contrary to Devilly et al.'s (2023) claim that we argued from authority by referring to reports from major professional/scientific organizations, our article did no such thing. We did not argue that the field should believe authority figures simply because "they said so." ...
... Not Causal is the combined total of strongly disagree and disagree categories, Don't Know is the neither agree nor disagree category, and Causal is the combined total of strongly agree and agree categories. Multiple False Claims About the General Aggression Model (GAM) Claim 6. Devilly et al. (2023, p. 365) dismiss the GAM and argue that inductive models (e.g., "the Immersive Media Prediction model (Unsworth et al., 2007), a motivational hypothesis of selfdetermination theory (Przybylski et al., 2014), an evolutionary model on prosocial behavior (Devilly et al., 2017), and the Catalyst Model (Ferguson et al., 2008))" do a better job explaining violent media effects than the GAM. However, Devilly et al. provided no evidence to support this claim. ...
... These are "best practices" that are recommended for all media violence scholars. Devilly et al.'s (2023) speculation that harmful effects are found in the media violence domain because researchers and/or research assistants are somehow biasing the results is just that-mere speculation. We saw no data in their article to support this claim. ...
We respond to the Devilly et al. (2023) comment about our article (Bushman& Anderson, 2021). Specifically,
we point out 20 false claims they make about our article and explain why these claims are false.
... Its effects are therefore controlled in the analyses (e.g. Anderson and Dill, 2000;Ferguson et al., 2008Ferguson et al., , 2014Lin, 2013a;Peng et al., 2008). Moreover, we included empathy, which relates to aggression in the opposite direction (e.g. ...
... This is in line with previous research (e.g. Anderson and Dill, 2000;Ferguson et al., 2008Ferguson et al., , 2014Lin, 2013a;Peng et al., 2008). However, trait aggression was not associated with normative beliefs about aggression. ...
... It is innovative in offering the first desirable feedback for the GAM and the ongoing debate on the predictive power of situational factors (cf. Ferguson and Dyck, 2012;Ferguson et al., 2008Ferguson et al., , 2014. Even though the GAM proposes that even short-term exposure to violent content increases state aggression, it appears that the situational factor represented by an aggressive streamer's commentary is not associated with higher levels of state aggression. ...
In the past 10 years, live-streaming services have gained huge popularity. Streamers usually play video games and complement their performance with commentary. We examine the role of this streamer commentary on state aggression in Czech adolescents who were randomly assigned into one of the three experimental groups (i.e. aggressive commentary, non-aggressive commentary, no commentary). The findings suggest that a short-term streamer’s commentary has no effect on affective and cognitive state aggression. In addition, the experimental conditions did not moderate any effects of personal traits (i.e. aggression, empathy) and long-term environmental factors (i.e. exposure to violence, watching violent streams, playing violent video games) on state aggression. We found that trait aggression, trait affective empathy and long-term exposure to violence were positively associated with state aggression, whereas trait sympathy was negatively associated with state aggression. The findings enrich the research with evidence for the lack of influence of streamer commentary on viewer aggression.
... In comparison, the pornographic content provider Pornhub, which is not even the largest provider on the Internet, attracts about 130 million visits every day, accumulating to an average of 3.9 billion views per month (Pornhub Insights, 2021). This shift in perspective -highlighting pornography as mass media content -allows us to apply different theories about media use and effects originating from communication science and media psychology research on mass media (Ferguson et al., 2008;Slater, 2015;Slater et al., 2020). Given that pornography reaches a global audience (e.g., Hald & Mulya, 2013), its use (and production) appears to be motivated by something universal to human nature. ...
... If this is the case, we may be able to observe reciprocal interactions between sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, and pornography use. Relations between these dimensions have been described both in theories about the development of sexual behavior (e.g., Wright, 2011Wright, , 2014 as well as in theories of broader communication science and media psychology (e.g., Ferguson et al., 2008;Slater, 2015;Slater et al., 2020). ...
... This assumption of mediators being present for a media effect to occur is reflected in another model that formalizes media use and effects. The catalyst model of violent crime (CMVC; Ferguson et al., 2008) assumes that adverse media effects are small and have only minor, almost negligible effects on an audience's behavior. According to the CMVC, media use is never the root of specific behavior but acts as an indirect influence, altering the visual display of how behavior is conducted. ...
Based on different theories in media research (3AM, catalyst model of violent crime, reinforcing spirals model), we further explore the relationship between pornography use, sexual fantasy, and behavior. We suggest that pornography use appears so persistent across time and culture because it is related to a human universal, the ability to fantasize. Consequently, pornography use seems to be an opportunity to acquire media-mediated sexual fantasies, and we believe that pornography use interacts with sexual fantasies and, to a much weaker extent, with sexual behavior. To assess our assumptions, we conducted a network analysis with a large and diverse sample of N = 1338 hetero- and bisexual participants from Germany. Analyses were done separately for men and women. Our network analysis clustered parts of the psychological processes around the interaction of sexual fantasies, pornography use, and behavior into communities of especially strong interacting items. We detected meaningful communities (orgasm-centered intercourse, BDSM) consisting of sexual fantasies and behavior, with some containing pornography. However, pornography use was not part of communities we perceive to account for mainstream/everyday sexuality. Instead, our results show that non-mainstream behavior (e.g., BDSM) is affected by pornography use. Our study highlights the interaction between sexual fantasies, sexual behavior, and (parts of) pornography use. It advocates for a more interactionist view of human sexuality and media use.
... A meta-analysis of 101 studies on the effects of video games on children and adolescents found that video games had very small effects on increased aggressive behavior, reduced academic performance, and depressive symptoms (Ferguson, 2015b). The experimental study by Ferguson et al. (2008) showed that regardless of whether participants were exposed to violent video games or non-violent video games, the difference in aggressive behavior was not significant, but aggressive traits, exposure to domestic violence, and gender were closely related to aggressive behavior. Two other longitudinal studies also found that exposure to video game violence was not associated with any negative outcomes of aggression (Ferguson et al., 2012;Kühn et al., 2019). ...
... Individuals with aggressive traits or those exposed to family violence are expected to show accelerated development of aggressive behaviors after being exposed to media violence. Conversely, if the family environment and physiological factors of adolescents contain fewer aggressive factors, then even if they are exposed to media violence, they will have less aggressive behavior (Ferguson et al., 2008). However, our study consistently found that media violence exposure had a positive predictive effect on aggression across different genders, family economic status, and family location groups, indicating that this predictive effect is consistent across genders and family environments. ...
Introduction
Increasing evidence has shown that media violence exposure can influence individual aggression. However, the question of whether there is a causal relationship between media violence exposure and aggression remains complex and contentious. This study aims to examine the dynamic reciprocal relations between media violence exposure and aggression among junior high school students in China.
Methods
Using the Exposure to Violent Media Questionnaire (ETVMQ) and the Buss-Warren Aggression questionnaire (BWAQ), 259 junior high school students were tracked three times over a period of 1 year. A cross-lagged panel model was constructed to analyze the reciprocal relationship between media violence exposure and aggression over time.
Results
(1) Media violence exposure and aggression were significantly and positively correlated in all three assessments. (2) Cross-lagged analysis revealed that media violence exposure at Time 1(T1) significantly positively predicted aggression at Time 2(T2), and subsequently significantly positively predicted media violence exposure at Time 3(T3). Additionally, media violence exposure at T2 significantly positively predicted aggression at T3. (3) Multi-group analysis revealed that gender, family economic status, and family location had no significant moderating effects on the cross-lagged effects between media violence exposure and aggression. The cross-lagged effects did not differ by gender, family economic status, or family location.
Conclusion
There is a positive reciprocal relationship between media violence exposure and aggression among Chinese junior high school students, and this reciprocal relationship demonstrates stability across gender and family environments. Media violence exposure is not only a risk factor for increasing aggression among Chinese junior high school students but also a negative outcome of high aggression.
... However, as expected in any expansive field of study, certain methodologically sound research has yielded differing outcomes (e.g., Kühn et al., 2019) [17] , sparking continued academic discussion. Within this debate, the issue of causality often emerges, with some scholars positing that the observed association might stem from factors like familial violence or innate aggressive inclinations rather than being directly caused by the games themselves (Ferguson et al., 2008) [13] . In the present study, we also examine the link between video games and aggression but take a novel approach. ...
... However, as expected in any expansive field of study, certain methodologically sound research has yielded differing outcomes (e.g., Kühn et al., 2019) [17] , sparking continued academic discussion. Within this debate, the issue of causality often emerges, with some scholars positing that the observed association might stem from factors like familial violence or innate aggressive inclinations rather than being directly caused by the games themselves (Ferguson et al., 2008) [13] . In the present study, we also examine the link between video games and aggression but take a novel approach. ...
... Some experimental and longitudinal studies have revealed that EVM increased aggressive behaviors (Delhove & Greitemeyer, 2021;Zhang et al., 2021). However, some studies found that there was no connection between the two variables (Ferguson et al., 2008;Zhang et al., 2013), which indicates that there are some mediators that need to be clarified. ...
... Second, although experimental and longitudinal studies have revealed the effect of EVM on aggression (Delhove & Greitemeyer, 2021;Zhang et al., 2021), the causality link between the four variables in our study could be tested in future studies with more elaborative designs (e.g., longitudinal investigation). Third, although this research provides evidence that EVM is a risk factor for TB and CB, some research showed no significant link between EVM and aggression (Ferguson et al., 2008;Zhang et al., 2013). ...
Adolescence is a high-risk age for exposure to violent media (EVM) and bullying. Some previous theories and empirical studies have highlighted a moderated mediating model that normative beliefs about aggression (NBA) as a mediator and self-control (SC) as a moderator for the link between EVM and aggressive behaviors (including bullying behaviors). However, most previous studies analyzed traditional bullying (TB) and cyberbullying (CB) separately, which is not conducive to finding the differences between the two bullying behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to compare the differences between risk prediction models of TB and CB among adolescents. A total of 777 Chinese adolescent students (336 girls; Mage = 13.57 ± 0.98) completed questionnaires including EVM, NBA, TB, CB, and SC. The results showed that: (1) EVM was positively related to adolescent TB/CB; (2) NBA mediated the above relations; and (3) SC buffers the direct effect of EVM on TB and the effect of NBA on TB. However, SC buffers the effect of NBA on adolescent CB but not buffers the direct effect of EVM on CB. This study highlights the necessity of distinguishing offline and online situations in aggressive behavior research. We suggested "online disinhibit hypothesis" would be adopted to explain why protector factors (e.g., SC) do not buffer the link between aggression-related risk factors (e.g., EVM) and online aggression (e.g., CB).
... Following the actor beyond game play opens further questions that is one way to broaden the field of game studies, as it can lead to questions regarding ethics (Dodig-Crnkovic and Larsson 2005) beyond the question of violent video games (Ferguson et al. 2008;Bartholow, Sestir, and Davis 2005;Elson, Breuer, and Quandt 2010;Sherry 2001). Let us return to the fact that the variety and quality of buyable larp materials rose over the years while the prices fell. ...
Costume Agency in German Larp has two aims. First, it contributes to the understanding of costumes as collaborators in a larp network. Second, it shows that the change towards a network perspective expands the understanding of games as relational processes. An actor-network analysis of the costume builds on first-hand data from three larps. Data analysis required a set of qualitative methods based upon participatory observation and qualitative interviews. The results of the analysis are: 1. Larp works, because the costume contributes to role playing. 2. The costume contributes when it changes its arrangement of material actors to fulfill the demands of the network. 3. Costume contribution demands changes from narrative and ludic actors as well and the result of these negotiations is a development of the network. 4. The development of the three observed larp networks resulted in costumes that work towards the 360° illusion ideal, change game rules, and raise the popularity of one favored narrative genre: Fantasy. Following the costume and tracing its work, reveals how larp as a network of heterogeneous actors structures itself. These processes become visible with an actor- network perspective that reaches beyond the division of agency as being driven by human or material actors.
... В качестве второй альтернативы К.Дж. Фергюсон предлагает разработанную им «Каталитическую модель» («Catalyst model») [21; 36], в рамках которой отрицается причинно-следственная связь между увлеченностью видеоиграми с насильственным контентом и склонностью к агрессии; допускаются случаи, при которых более агрессивные пользователи чаще отдают предпочтение видеоиграм с насильственным контентом; продвигается необходимость изучения роли дополнительных переменных в рассматриваемой связи (например, социальных и генетических факторов) [36]. ...
p style="text-align: justify;"> The article addresses the problem of designing a research model applicable to study of enthusiasm for video games and aggression. As a possible way to overcome the existing contradictions in the research results, it is important to study this interplay, taking into account the features of play activity. Video game is not an accurate model of reality. It is based on a different, significantly simplified system of rules, and has a conventional nature. Thus, it seems important to go on collecting information concerning the psychological aspects of the game process, especially the ones, connected with the reflection of the play experience and the features of behavior in the game. The purpose of this review is to identify the specificity of designing studies aimed at investigating the problem of the implementation of the game process in video games and aggression in relation to the specificity of play activity. In few publications that pay attention to the psychological components of the gameplay its individual aspects (perception of frustrating game events, realism of the game space and involvement in the game context) are often discussed without taking into account the specificity of the game. In perspective we intend to particularize the specificity of processing the play experience, namely, the way it reflects in the chosen game tactics. </p
... Recently, Shafti et al. (2021) presented a theoretical framework that accounts for why people may engage in dual-harm: The cognitive-emotional model of dual-harm. This model is based on models and theories including the General Aggression Model, diathesis-stress models and emotional dysregulation theories (Anderson & Bushman, 2002;Ferguson et al., 2008;Long et al., 2014). ...
Background
Aggressive behaviour (AB) and non‐suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) are common in people with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning, leading to adverse consequences for themselves and those around them.
Method
We investigated the relationship between AB (both total and physical in particular) and NSSI and risk factors in 125 residents in a treatment clinic using incident reports and standard clinical measurements.
Results
There was a weak correlation between AB and NSSI, as well as between impulsivity and total AB, and between coping and AB and NSSI. However, NSSI, impulsivity and coping skills did not predict AB.
Conclusion
Results do not corroborate those of other studies in this area. In future studies impulsivity, coping, aggression and NSSI may be measured using other instruments, and differences between people with and without intellectual disability regarding these variables may be explored.
... Ultimately, a few recommendations and conclusions are provided to support paediatricians, parents, and other caregivers in minimizing the harmful impacts of video gaming on kids while optimizing its beneficial benefits. (Ferguson et al., 2008) in their article investigated the connection between playing violent video games and acting aggressively or violently both in the lab and in real life. Participants in Study 1 could select to play a violent or peaceful game, or they might be randomly assigned. ...
his article examines the behavioural, psychological, and socioeconomic effects of video gaming on young people in Nagaland. Fifty respondents from the Kohima District participated in the survey, which examined family income, gender, age, and occupation. A structured questionnaire and purposive sampling are used in the study approach. Principal results show a heterogeneous population, differing gaming epochs, and conflicting views regarding the influence of gaming. 55% of respondents believe gaming has little bearing on achieving real-world goals, while 62% are unsure about its impact on wellbeing. The commonly held belief that gaming enhances life skills is called into doubt by the study. The results highlight the necessity of all-encompassing approaches to mitigate any adverse consequences and optimize favourable consequences for young people in Nagaland and other regions.
... Respecto a la adolescencia, se considera que las características agresivas de la personalidad, la violencia familiar y el género masculino, son factores que determinan una preferencia por jugar videojuegos de contenido violento (Ferguson et al., 2008). Otro factor que incide es la influencia de los pares, específicamente, las normas y percepciones de los compañeros, fenómeno social que media los efectos del UVV en el comportamiento agresivo de los adolescentes (Sun y Sun, 2021). ...
Objetivo:
Comprender la relación entre el uso de videojuegos según su nivel de violencia y la disposición empática en la adolescencia.
Método:
Enfoque cuantitativo de diseño no experimental, de corte transversal y de alcance descriptivo-correlacional. La recolección de datos se llevó a cabo a través de un cuestionario ad hoc que exploró los factores que componen al uso de videojuegos (α=0,951), y la escala Índice de Reactividad Interpersonal que evaluó las cuatro dimensiones de empatía (α=0,745). La muestra quedó conformada por n=400 adolescentes de 12 a 18 años de edad, 55,2 % hombres y 44,8 % mujeres. Se utilizó un muestro probabilístico aleatorio simple.
Resultados:
La prueba H de Kruskal-Wallis determinó que el uso de videojuegos excesivamente violentos es un factor que genera diferencias estadísticamente (+18; p-valor= 0,001) en una dimensión de la empatía (Malestar Personal, MP), siendo mayor en quienes actualmente juegan estos juegos.
Discusiones:
MP es un constructo que, en altos niveles, marca una tendencia a evitar a las personas que están pasando por situaciones adversas, relacionándose negativamente con el comportamiento prosocial y el altruismo. En la investigación, los adolescentes que más juegan videojuegos +18 son quienes presentan una menor disposición empática, lo cual es congruente con otras investigaciones, donde se encontró que el uso de videojuegos violentos (UVV) redujo los niveles de empatía en niños y adolescentes, prediciendo una mayor frecuencia de conductas violentas. Así mismo, estudios regionales sugieren que el UVV aumenta los niveles de ira y agresividad, a la par que reduce la empatía.
... And, at the sociological level, the implicit conditioning is that it is normal to feel okay about inflicting pain on other people. (2014: 69) In estrema sintesi mentre Grossman e parte della letteratura scientifica, sono concordi nel sostenere che i videogiochi agiscano come strumenti di desensibilizzazione nei confronti di determinati stimoli attraverso la ripetizione (infra multis si veda Grossman e DeGaetano, 2014: 78; Milani et al., 2015;Gentile et al., 2014: 7;Awan et al., 2021: 5;Felemban, 2021: 523;Khalil et al., 2019: 334) di contrario avviso altra parte della dottrina (Arora et al., 2023(Arora et al., : 1840Ferguson et al., 2008;Gao et al., 2017: 8) secondo cui non è, ad oggi, possibile dare una risposta precisa alla domanda se vi sia un rapporto diretto tra videogame e violenza. Una posizione intermedia è quella assunta da APA (2019) che, modificando parzialmente la propria posizione del 2015 (APA Task Force on Violent Media, 2015: 11) secondo cui "The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive affect and decreases in prosocial behavior, empathy, and sensitivity to aggression", ha stabilito che ...
L’autore analizza il rapporto tra videogiochi e pedofilia, affrontandone l’impiego sia come strumento di adescamento che come strumento di produzione e fruizione di materiale pedopornografico definito, secondo le linee guida internazionali, “CSAM” (child sexual abuse material).
In relazione al primo aspetto, appurato e dimostrato che le piattaforme di gioco online si stanno trasformando nello strumento di contatto privilegiato da parte dei groomer, vengono individuate ed analizzate le risposte normative poste in essere dall’ordinamento italiano e la loro applicazione.
In relazione al secondo aspetto, verificata e dimostrata l’esistenza del fenomeno, ne viene valutata e riconosciuta la potenziale pericolosità per l’ordine pubblico e la sicurezza dei minori e vengono discussi gli strumenti repressivi e le problematiche legate al loro utilizzo processuale.
Da ultimo, ci si interroga sulla correttezza della collocazione dell’articolo 600-quater.1 tra i reati contro la persona.
The author analyzes the relationship between video games and pedophilia, addressing their use both as a tool for grooming and as a tool for the production and use of child pornography material defined, according to international guidelines, as "CSAM" (child sexual abuse material).
In relation to the first aspect, having established and demonstrated that online gaming platforms are transforming into the preferred contact tool for groomers, the regulatory responses implemented by the Italian legal system and their application are identified and analysed.
In relation to the second aspect, once the existence of the phenomenon has been verified and demonstrated, its potential danger to public order and safety of minors is assessed and recognised, and the repressive tools and problems linked to their procedural use are discussed.
Lastly, the article questions the correctness of placing article 600-quater.1 among crimes against the person.
... Při zapojení těchto faktorů se v rámci těchto výzkumů vliv hraní násilných počítačových her neprokázal. Jako významné zde vyšly pouze osobnostní násilné rysy (traits aggression) a úroveň stresu (Ferguson et al., 2014), či v rámci jiné studie agresivní rysy osobnosti, násilí v rodině a pohlaví dané osoby, nikoli hraní násilných počítačových her (Ferguson et al., 2008). ...
Kniha přináší výsledky empirického výzkumu, který byl v IKSP realizován a nabízí empiricky podložené poznatky nejen z analýz statistických údajů, ale také z analýzy soudních spisů, z dotazníkového šetření mezi experty, kteří pracují s těmito dětmi v rámci systému soudnictví ve věcech mládeže a při výkonu ochranné výchovy, a z výzkumu veřejného mínění, který se věnoval této oblasti. Publikace zaměřená na problematiku násilné kriminality trestně neodpovědných dětí mladších patnácti let, v úvodu definuje hlavní koncepty, jak je násilná kriminalita a agrese a v teoretickém nástinu základních faktorů, které je ovlivňují, nabízí autoři popis a analýzu trendů v násilné kriminalitě u této věkové kategorie v České republice, a to včetně otázek vztahujících se např. k tomu, zda v dlouhodobém horizontu dochází ke změnám v její struktuře, či zda dochází ke zvyšování závažnosti násilných činů jinak trestných, kterých se dopouští.
... Consequently, they give rise to difficult questions about the relationship between popular culture and education, polarize thinking about culture and identity, and confront us with concepts of texts and textuality (Beavis et al., 2012;Bourgonjon, 2014). Despite much evidence to the contrary, video games continue to be associated in popular discourse with anti-social, adverse outcomes (Ferguson et al., 2008). A reconciliation between the traditional, serious, print-based conceptualizations of literacy, and literacy relevant to emerging digital media, especially video games, is evident through efforts of exploring the utility of games as a tool for learning. ...
Online video gaming has developed from a hobby to a ubiquitous, social and leisure phenomenon. Roblox, a free-to-play, online sandbox platform has thrived in this time, with a substantial global userbase, where the majority of Roblox users are under 16 years old. Using video recorded data from single case, this study examines the ways in which two preteen players collaboratively participate, solve problems, and share strategies during a pre-gaming interaction. The analysis highlights the affordances of this form of online play for social and language learning. Using Multimodal Conversation Analysis, this study explores how participants leverage cooperative learning strategies including mutual scaffolding techniques and fluidity of epistemic participation that includes material ecology, knowledge exchange, joint problem solving, instructing, and help-seeking. The analysis elucidates a relationship between these pre-gaming activities and participants’ utilization of resources for learning related to language, technology, literacy, and teamwork.
... As expected, bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, impulsivity, and pro-bullying attitudes were all positively associated with aggressive behavior (Hypothesis 1 supported). These findings are consistent with prior literature such that adolescents who were victims of bullying and exposed to family violence were more likely to engage in aggressive behavior (Ferguson et al., 2008;Machimbarrena et al., 2019). In addition, these results are consistent with the cumulative effects of polyvictimization on adolescent aggression, such that prior literature suggests multiple victimizations (i.e., bullying victimization and exposure to family violence) possess motivational properties that trigger externalizing disturbances (Chen et al., 2018). ...
The present study first examined whether bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, impulsivity, and pro-bullying attitudes associate with aggressive behavior. Then using the structure equation model, this study tested whether pro-bullying attitudes and impulsivity mediated the relationships among bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, and aggressive behavior guided by the intergenerational transmission of violence and I³ models while controlling for gender and race (n = 924). As expected, bullying victimization, exposure to family violence, impulsivity, and pro-bullying attitudes positively associated with aggressive behavior. Then mediation results showed that pro-bullying attitudes explained the relationship between bullying victimization and aggressive behavior, but not exposure to family violence. Then, impulsivity mediated the relationship between bullying victimization/exposure to family violence and aggressive behavior while controlling for gender and race. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
... In contrast to this theory, proponents of approaches such as "uses and gratifications"(Sherry et al., 2006) and "self-determination" (Przybylski, Rigby & Ryan, 2010) have not found solid evidence of such effects. These researchers argue that media reporting of violent crimes is better interpreted as a "crime steerer," a factor that can shape criminal behavior through influencing the style of crime but is not a factor that triggers criminal behavior (see more in:Ferguson et al., 2008;Savage & Yancey, 2008;Surette, 2012). To understand the phenomenon of crime fascination and the propensity for imitation, a good example is the American documentary TV series "CopyCat Killers." ...
This paper examines the interplay between media and criminal activities, highlighting the numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about criminality that often originate from the media’s construction of reality, driven by sensationalism and profit-seeking. In scrutinizing the media’s engagement with criminal matters, the paper comprehensively analyzes the intricate dynamic between providing informative content and the allure of sensationalism. The paper accentuates the pivotal role of the media in disseminating information to the public, promoting justice, and stimulating discourse on the causal factors and repercussions of criminal behavior. The paper underscores the adverse societal impacts of the media, including the propagation of disinformation, the endorsement of violence and aggression, the cultivation of media dependency, and the ramifications for mental health. It meticulously explores the dissemination of false news, identifies sources of disinformation, and formulates strategies to mitigate this predicament. The nexus between the media’s portrayal of violence and tangible instances of aggressive conduct is scrutinized, delving into industry self-regulation and the roles played by family, education, and society in addressing this issue. Furthermore, the paper conducts an in-depth analysis of how the media portrays criminal activities, with a particular emphasis on popular television genres centered on criminal themes. It elucidates the psychological dimension of the appeal of such narratives, offering insights into diverse motivators prompting viewers to identify with criminal acts. In conclusion, the paper presents an empirical research into the perceptions of citizens in Serbia concerning the influence exerted by both legacy and new media.
... Nevertheless, among a population of regular gamers, this link was found only in the group that played a violent VG and not in the group that played a neutral game (Arriaga et al., 2011). Finally, no links were found in four other studies (Devilly et al., 2021;Ferguson & Rueda, 2010;Ferguson et al., 2008;MacGowan & Schmidt, 2021). ...
Playing video games is associated with cognitive changes and possibly psychosocial difficulties. Problematic gaming occurs upon the loss of control over videogame playing; gaming disorder is considered a behavioral addiction in the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases. Models used to understand behavioral addictions include cognition as an essential factor in the development, maintenance, and relapse of addiction. Nevertheless, some aspects of cognition, such as social cognition, remain underexplored, despite evidence of alterations in cognitive and social function among patients with problematic gaming. This review aimed to describe the current understanding of social cognition in individuals exposed to videogames. We included all studies assessing social cognition in participants of any age with a wide range of exposure to video games (from simple use of video games (such as at least two exposures) to problematic gaming, defined according to the included study). This wide range of exposure allowed us to explore the whole process from repeated exposure to addiction. We included only studies that used neuropsychological tasks to assess social cognition. Patient-reported outcomes that could be biased by subjective self-report data were not included. The search was conducted from inception to January 2022 in three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science). The systematic search identified 39 studies that assessed facial emotion processing, empathy, theory of mind, social decision-making, aggressive behavior, and moral competence. In general, results have been mixed, and a number of questions remain unanswered. Nevertheless, several studies showed cerebral changes when processing facial emotion that were linked with problematic gaming, while no link was obtained between nonproblematic gaming and empathy alterations. The influences of cooperation patterns, theory of mind, moral competence, and gaming frequency were highlighted. Finally, there was substantial heterogeneity in the population assessed and the methods used.
... In untreated cases, incest may lead to silence, constant fear, and the development of mental and physical disorders that can harm the victims' personality development (Carter, 2019;Herman, 2015). Disorders may include psychotic episodes (Bendall et al., 2011), mental conditions such as anxiety, somatization, and depression (Ferguson et al., 2008), complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD; Franco, 2021) and eating disorders (Gur, 2019). Behavioral symptoms of male and female incest victims differ. ...
Incest occurs worldwide in all socioeconomic classes. To the best of our knowledge, literature on music processes with incest survivors is scarce, and studies focusing on voicework as a main technique for incest survivors in group settings have not been found. The current study aimed to explore incest survivors’ expectations regarding the use of their voice before participating in a vocal group therapy, and their lived experience of using their voice following the therapeutic process. Seventeen women living in an inpatient alternative center, coping with complex posttraumatic stress disorder due to incest, participated in a voicework group led by two music therapists. The women were divided into two groups of eight and nine women each and participated in eight sessions. Data were collected through focus groups before and after the therapeutic experience. Interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded themes indicating that before the therapeutic process, participants’ expectations regarding the use of their voice reflected low self-esteem, self-criticism, loneliness, shame, fear of exposure, and avoidance of singing. Following the therapeutic process, participants experienced their voice in a way that enabled them to feel self-acceptance and courage to sing, togetherness, bonding, belonging, a strengthening of existing relationships and ability to establish new ones, and awareness of body and emotions in the “here and now.” An overall examination of the findings indicates that participants progressed from experiencing lack of self-compassion before the therapeutic experience to enhanced self-compassion at its completion. The findings are interpreted via the self-compassion concept and implications are presented.
... In untreated cases, incest may lead to silence, constant fear, and the development of mental and physical disorders that can harm the victims' personality development (Carter, 2019;Herman, 2015). Disorders may include psychotic episodes (Bendall et al., 2011), mental conditions such as anxiety, somatization, and depression (Ferguson et al., 2008), complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD; Franco, 2021) and eating disorders (Gur, 2019). Behavioral symptoms of male and female incest victims differ. ...
Objectives:
We examined whether anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with self-reported history of financial exploitation (FE) are more pronounced among Holocaust survivors (HS), especially those with high-level posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Design:
Self-report questionnaires completed online via Qualtrics.
Setting:
An online-based survey conducted in Israel.
Participants:
A community-based cohort of 137 Israeli older adults born prior to 1945 were included in the study sample. HS (n = 61) were participants who reported living in a European country occupied or dominated by Nazi or pro-Nazi regimes between 1939 and 1945. Groups were further subdivided into survivors with low or high levels of PTSD symptoms (≥31 on the PTSD Checklist; PCL-5).
Measurements:
Questionnaires assessed FE history, posttraumatic symptoms (PCL-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Age, education, self-rated health, and non-Holocaust lifetime adversity were also measured and included as covariates.
Results:
Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that relationships between FE and depressive and anxiety symptoms were significant only among survivors (p = 0.005 and p = 0.008, respectively). The interaction between PTSD symptom level group and FE was also significant for both depressive (p = 0.007) and anxiety (p = 0.012) symptoms, such that survivors with PTSD who reported FE had significantly greater symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to all other groups.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that the experience of FE may be particularly impactful among survivors who continue to struggle with posttraumatic symptoms related to the Holocaust. Future studies may consider examining whether findings are relevant to other groups with PTSD.
... In the interview, Minassian highlights that he was an avid video gamer and would consider himself a "hard core gamer" playing upwards of five hours per day, even with a heavy course load at his university (Minassian, 2018:66). Minassian indicated during the interview a preference for violent video games that he utilized to "get his frustrations out" (Minassian, 2018:65), however it should be noted that research has firmly established that there is no direct link between the consumption of violent media and violent crime (Ferguson et al., 2008;Ferguson, 2011;Markey et al., 2015) but that with other precipitating factors present this can play a role in the progression of violence. His struggles to interact with people are further highlighted by his inability to succeed within the Canadian Armed Forces which he joined upon graduation because he "was interested in ah learning how to ah use ah weapons… sp -specifically ah large guns… Such as ah assault rifles." ...
Student research project on spending trends on outdoor recreation in the state of Virginia.
... There is a need for additional assessment into other reasons people may play and what this can lead to for the players in their personal lives both online and offline. Ferguson et al. (2008) considered this and attempted to compare home life with the responses to violence in games. The authors found no relationship between violent video games and short-term aggression post-play but did discover men were more likely to choose the violent games. ...
Gender in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, MMORPGs, is a common topic of discussion since it affects many aspects of gameplay both negatively and positively. This study looks further into this by taking congruency of avatar gender and assessing its relationship with motivation to play MMORPGs.
... One strategy for developing a healthy self-concept is to start a regular program of physical activity (Wagner, McBride, & Crouse, 1999). Being a male (Ferguson, Rueda, Cruz, Ferguson, & Fritz, 2008), in an environment that not only tolerates but promotes criminal behavior, and having a negative self-concept is conducive to an environment wrought with aggression (Wagner et al., 1999). Cathartic theory states that a buildup of aggression requires a release of energy, preferably physical energy, using acceptable outlets. ...
... These theories have arisen out of empirical data (data generating theory) rather than being theories looking for data. Such data-driven theories include, for example, the Immersive Media Prediction model (Unsworth et al., 2007), a motivational hypothesis of self-determination theory (Przybylski et al., 2014), an evolutionary model on prosocial behavior (Devilly et al., 2017), and the Catalyst Model (Ferguson et al., 2008). ...
Bushman and Anderson (2021) have recently argued that the evidence of harm after playing violent video games is so strong that this effect should be our starting point for future research. They base this claim on an argument that: (a) many professional bodies agree with this opinion; (b) strong theories, such as their General Aggression Model (GAM), predict such outcomes; (c) experimental and meta-analytic studies back such a claim; and (d) people who do not obtain this effect are in the minority and their studies have methodological shortcomings or they misanalyze their data. It is argued here that this is not consistent with the precepts of falsificationism and that: (a) their argument from authority is problematic; (b) they appear unconcerned with, or unaware of, increasing null studies, particularly missing out international research or preregistered studies; (c) the majority of research groups outside of Bushman/Anderson and their coauthors do not concur with their results; and (d) there are theories (e.g., the Immersive Media Prediction model) which better account for the data than their GAM. It is also argued that when theories and data collide it is the theories that need revision not the data, demand effects of researchers are strong in gaming research, and Bushman and Anderson’s results may themselves have been influenced by their methodology rather than accurately describing a naturally occurring weakness in the human condition. It is also argued that we need a more collegial approach to gaming research and make suggestions to facilitate this shift.
... Whereas the impact of YouTubers on adolescents is significant, it may not be as large as qualitative studies suggest. For example, there are data suggesting that media exposure, especially after controlling for family environment or personal characteristics, has limited effects on adolescents in terms of violence (Ferguson et al., 2008(Ferguson et al., , 2014 and body dissatisfaction (Ferguson et al., 2011). In addition, Schmuck (2021) found that 10 to 14-year-old adolescents who reported following media influencers had higher levels of FOMO and lower social well-being, whereas supportive communication with parents decreased adolescents' FOMO in response to following vloggers. ...
Data from previous studies show that YouTube and YouTubers have become an integral part of adolescents' lives and have a significant impact on how adolescents view themselves and the world around them. Previous studies suggest that parasocial relationships with YouTubers are likely to have some characteristics that differ from those with traditional celebrities, such as reciprocity or the illusion of intimacy. The question of this study was why YouTubers are so attractive to adolescents and what are the main components of this attractiveness. A sample of 39 adolescents aged 11 to 20 who were fans of at least one YouTuber participated in focus groups in which we collected data on participants' perceptions of their favourite YouTuber and their YouTuber-related behaviours, expectations, beliefs, and social context. The grounded theory approach was used. The analysis yielded core category "identification" which is a powerful mechanism in adolescent psychology. The core category was supported by four general categories: (1) personal characteristics of YouTubers, (2) characteristics of the relationships between YouTubers and their followers, (3) characteristics related to followers' social context, and (4) characteristics related to the medium itself (e. g. accessibility). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
... This theory asserts that youths learn violent behaviour from their elders, parents or people they perceive as their role models when they see such persons resolve problems in a violent manner [7,8,1]. For instance, [9] documented very well the role biological and innate motivations play in accounting for violent behaviour but also emphasizing deep-seated environmental factors such as parental and family influence on violent behaviour. ...
This paper attempts to provide an empirical analysis of youth violence trajectory in Kaduna State of Nigeria with a view to examine the peculiar factors causing violent incidence among the people of the study area. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select five (5) violent hot-spots Local Government Areas out of which 400 respondents were chosen within the conflict and violent prone communities using snowball sampling methods. Questionnaire and key informant interview were used to collect data and the analysis done with descriptive and factor analysis. Findings revealed male dominance in violent activities with active involvement of adults within the age bracket of 30-59 years. The literacy level of the respondent is also quite high. Further analysis revealed that land encroachment arising from the struggle for land resources, breach of cultural values, and insults to religious institution or personality with rotated factor matrix of 0.731, 0.675, and 0.563 respectively are the most significant causes of violence in the study area. The correlation matrix also revealed that the most significant positive relationship is between insult to religious institution and breach of cultural values with r = 0.536, and p ˂ 0.001. It implies that the greater the incidence of land encroachment, the higher the probability of breach of the norms and values of communities in the study area. The study therefore recommended the need to sensitize the community on the danger of land encroachment and enforcement of sanctions on deviants. It is also imperative to enforce an efficient and effective inter-communal dialogue that will improve the existing conflict resolution mechanism of the people of the area.
... Consequently, they give rise to difficult questions about the relationship between popular culture and education, polarize thinking about culture and identity, and confront us with concepts of texts and textuality (Beavis et al., 2012;Bourgonjon, 2014). Despite much evidence to the contrary, video games continue to be associated in popular discourse with anti-social, adverse outcomes (Ferguson et al., 2008). A reconciliation between the traditional, serious, print-based conceptualizations of literacy, and literacy relevant to emerging digital media, especially video games, is evident through efforts of exploring the utility of games as a tool for learning. ...
Online video gaming has developed from a hobby to a ubiquitous, social and leisure phenomenon. Roblox, a free-to-play, online sandbox platform has thrived in this time, with a substantial global userbase, where the majority of Roblox users are under 16 years old. Using video recorded data from single case, this study examines the ways in which two preteen players collaboratively participate, solve problems, and share strategies during a pre-gaming interaction. The analysis highlights the affordances of this form of online play for social and language learning. Using Multimodal Conversation Analysis, this study explores how participants leverage cooperative learning strategies including mutual scaffolding techniques and fluidity of epistemic participation that includes material ecology, knowledge exchange, joint problem solving, instructing, and help-seeking. The analysis elucidates a relationship between these pre-gaming activities and participants’ utilization of resources for learning related to language, technology, literacy, and teamwork.
... For many years, computer games have been of interest to psychologists, who for a long time only addressed their negative consequences, such as aggression and violence (Cooper and Mackie, 1986;Ferguson, Rueda, Cruz, et al., 2008;Zhang, Cao and Tian, 2021), addiction (Grūsser, Thalemann and Griffiths, 2007;Van Den Eijnden, Koning, Doornwaard Van Gurp and Ter Bogt, 2018) or the weakening of interpersonal relationships (Kowert, Domahidi, Festl and Quandt, 2014). However, in recent years, apart from focusing on the advantages of playing computer games (Granic, Lobel and Engels, 2014), psychologists have started to analyze them in a more neutral manner as a widespread and global phenomenon which concerns each and every age group, including increasingly young users. ...
A particular element of computer games which significantly affects the gaming experience is avatars, i.e., representations of virtual players. In particular player-avatar similarity is related to the game experience, however, the results of previous studies are not conclusive. There is also a lack of research in which participants actually create their own avatars. The first aim of this study is to check whether there is a relationship between the player-avatar similarity and the game experience: game efficacy, game enjoyment and immersion. As a second goal the study examines gender as the mechanism responsible for the relationship between avatar player-similarity and game experience: game enjoyment, game efficacy and immersion. In the study (N = 130) participants created their avatars, played designed computer game Characterium and assessed their experience. The results demonstrate that player-avatar similarity was positively related to immersion level (but not to game efficacy and game enjoyment). Gender was not a significant moderator of the relationships between avatar similarity and game efficacy, game enjoyment and immersion. We consider this study to be a step forward in better understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between player-avatar similarity and game experience. For the first time, the relationship between player-avatar similarity and immersion was demonstrated in the condition of creating an avatar by the subjects and controlling it in the game. We also identify potential reasons why our hypotheses have not been confirmed.
... Several researchers have disputed the claim that media violence is associated with aggressive behaviors; instead, these researchers attributed individuals' aggressive behaviors to their psychological and biological predispositions (Elson and Ferguson, WAYS BLACK BOYS CONSUME VIOLENT URBAN MUSIC AND ITS IMPACT 2014; Ferguson & Beaver, 2009;Ferguson et al., 2008). Other scholars have offered competing explanations of media violence effects, which are grounded in the General Aggression Model (GAM). ...
Discussing social media-related scholarship found in criminology, legal studies, policing, courts, corrections, victimization, and crime prevention, this book presents the current state of our knowledge on the impact of social media and the major sociological frameworks employed to study the U.S. justice system.
Building a theoretical framework for the study of social media and criminal justice in each chapter, the chapters provide a systematic reflection of extant research on social media in cybercrime, operations of courts, administration of institutional and community corrections, law enforcement, and crime prevention. The book fills the gap between the contemporary state of knowledge regarding social media and criminal justice with respect to both empirical evidence and types of sociological frameworks being employed to explore and identify the societal costs and benefits of our growing dependence upon social media. In addition to providing an up-to-date overview of our current state of knowledge, this book highlights important areas of future research, wherein the benefits of social media can be expanded and the negative aspects of its broadening use can be minimized.
Social Media and Criminal Justice will be of interest to students, scholars and practitioners in the areas of judicial administration, corrections management, law enforcement, and criminal justice-engaged community-based nonprofit organizations involved in court-referred treatment and/or active collaboration with local law enforcement agencies.
For more information, please purchase the full book at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003360049/social-media-criminal-justice-xiaochen-hu-nicholas-lovrich or on Amazon.
The aim of the article is to present research findings focused on exploring effective methods for coping with challenging situations experienced by gamers during gameplay. The identification of difficulties associated with the occurrence of antisocial behaviors in the form of electronic aggression (e.g., retarding, chat-based verbal abuse) aligns the conducted research with the positive concept of prevention- resilience. According to this concept, the development of an individual’s social competence determines their positive functioning in society. The study used the cognitive-behavioral method of Aggression Replacement Training, respecting its high effectiveness in other countries. Equipping gamers with social skills (e.g., dealing with accusations of cheating in games) appears to be an efficient method in supporting the development of their resilience. The experiment was conducted among junior high school computer gamers (N=48), selected from a pool of 114 individuals; and it explored the role of ART in students’ coping strategies during challenging situations.
The proliferation of IoT devices has revolutionized daily life, offering unmatched convenience and connectivity but also exposing substantial security vulnerabilities. This chapter delves into security incidents and requirements in IoT devices, emphasizing the need to safeguard devices and their data. It analyzes historical events like the Mirai Botnet attack, Stuxnet worm, and ransomware to highlight the consequences of inadequate security. Exploring security challenges involving CIA triad, this chapter outlines practical measures for enhancing IoT security, including secure device configurations, robust authentication, and continuous monitoring. It also examines existing regulatory frameworks and standards, such as ISO/IEC, and industry-specific guidelines. In conclusion, this chapter underscores the urgency of addressing security incidents and fulfilling security requirements in IoT devices and provides an overview of emerging trends and challenges. It serves as a persuasive call to prioritize IoT device protection to preserve user privacy and interconnected system integrity.
Influential accounts claim that violent video games (VVG) decrease players' emotional empathy by desensitizing them to both virtual and real-life violence. However, scientific evidence for this claim is inconclusive and controversially debated. To assess the causal effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy and emotional reactivity to violence, we conducted a prospective experimental study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We recruited eighty-nine male participants without prior VVG experience. Over the course of two weeks, participants played either a highly violent video game, or a non-violent version of the same game. Before and after this period, participants completed an fMRI experiment with paradigms measuring their empathy for pain and emotional reactivity to violent images. Applying a Bayesian analysis approach throughout enabled us to find substantial evidence for the absence of an effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy. Moreover, participants in the VVG group were not desensitized to images of real-world violence. These results imply that short and controlled exposure to VVGs does not numb empathy nor the responses to real-world violence. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the potential and limitations of experimental research on the causal effects of VVGs. While VVGs might not have a discernible effect on the investigated subpopulation within our carefully controlled experimental setting, our results cannot preclude that effects could be found in settings with higher ecological validity, in vulnerable subpopulations, or after more extensive VVG play.
Influential accounts claim that violent video games (VVG) decrease players' emotional empathy by desensitizing them to both virtual and real-life violence. However, scientific evidence for this claim is inconclusive and controversially debated. To assess the causal effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy and emotional reactivity to violence, we conducted a prospective experimental study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We recruited eighty-nine male participants without prior VVG experience. Over the course of two weeks, participants played either a highly violent video game, or a non-violent version of the same game. Before and after this period, participants completed an fMRI experiment with paradigms measuring their empathy for pain and emotional reactivity to violent images. Applying a Bayesian analysis approach throughout enabled us to find substantial evidence for the absence of an effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy. Moreover, participants in the VVG group were not desensitized to images of real-world violence. These results imply that short and controlled exposure to VVGs does not numb empathy nor the responses to real-world violence. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the potential and limitations of experimental research on the causal effects of VVGs.
Previous studies have focused on whether there is a relationship between violent content in video games and aggression, but less attention has been given to game context, despite the popularity of multiplayer games. Therefore, the current study investigated the short-term effects of competitive game context on aggression as well as the mediating role of frustration and the moderating role of gender. Seventy-six participants played either competitive or solo game play modes for 15 min and then completed a measure of frustration. Next, participants completed a lexical decision task to measure their aggressive cognitions, a competitive reaction time task and a hot sauce paradigm to measure their aggressive behaviors. The results showed that participants in the competitive game context responded significantly faster to aggressive words than nonaggressive words, set longer noise punishment, and selected more chili powder than in the solo game context. Frustration mediated the relationship between game context and aggressive behavior (hot sauce scores), while gender was insignificant as a moderator. These results suggest that the competitive game context can influence aggression. Furthermore, the frustration-aggression hypothesis was supported, which proposes that competition can lead to frustration and in turn to aggressive behavior.
Background
Computer games are becoming increasingly more common as a form of leisure activity. While these games can be captivating, there are concerns about the potential risks associated with excessive use.ObjectiveA controversially discussed question is whether violent computer games directly contribute to increased aggression in individuals, thus posing a risk to society.Method
In this narrative review the results of different research approaches are discussed.ResultsCorrelational field studies have reported a positive association between aggressive personality traits and the frequent use of violent computer games. Experimental laboratory studies have often found a positive correlation between the extent of violent game use and aggressive thoughts, but weaker effects on aggressive behavior. In contrast, there is discussion about the potential for computer games to regulate aggression in the sense of managing moods; however, longitudinal studies have yielded contradictory findings. The results of systematic reviews were also similar, which have shown weak correlations at best between violent computer games and in particular aggressive thoughts, whereby the quality of the individual studies was often criticized.DiscussionIn summary, the existing body of research presents an inconsistent picture, characterized by partially contradictory results. While some studies have found significant correlations between aggressiveness and exposure to violent video games, the question of causality has not yet been answered with certainty. The assumption that violent computer games are directly responsible for violent behavior appears to lack sufficient empirical support at present.
The concept of the Metaverse has been mentioned a lot lately. It is necessary to understand what this concept is and what purposes it serves. Thanks to disruptive development technologies, we have to include this concept in every aspect of our lives. When we want to place the concept of the Metaverse in a position in line with current living standards, digital games and the elements that games provide come to mind. Because the games provide impressions close to the values that the concept of the Metaverse points to. It is possible to diversify these impressions through technologies such as virtual reality, 3D interactive game types, and virtual museum trips. At the same time, it is expected that each object will gain meaning in the Metaverse. In this context, the Metaverse offers us some values. In line with these values, there is no problem with these concepts in individuals who have reached a certain age, while psychological, physical, and spiritual problems occur in game-addicted individuals between the ages of 8 and 11. In general, the greatest addiction to playing games occurs between the ages of 8 and 11. Identifying these problems, grouping them as positive and negative effects, and drawing an inference from them At the same time, it provides interviews with pedagogues and builds bridges between pedagogues and families through the Delphi technique by addressing issues such as what lies at the root of the problem, what triggers this problem, and similar issues according to the literature review to be made.
Keywords: 3D digital games, child psychology, psychology students, pedagogues, Delphi technique, SWOT.
Violent video game exposure (VVGE) is a significant predictor of adolescent cyberbullying perpetration. However, little is known about the mediating and moderated mechanisms between them. This study examined the mediating role of moral disengagement between VVGE and cyberbullying perpetration as well as the moderating role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on those associations. A total of 2,523 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.22, SD = 1.60, 48.4 percent girls) participated this study. Structural equation modeling showed that VVGE was significantly related to cyberbullying perpetration and moral disengagement play a mediating role between them. Latent moderated structural equation modeling showed that CU traits strengthened the effect of VVGE on moral disengagement and of VVGE on cyberbullying perpetration. Results further showed that the mediating effect of moral disengagement was more prominent for youths who have higher levels of CU traits. Interventions to reduce moral disengagement and CU traits among adolescents may interrupt the effect of VVGE to cyberbullying perpetration.
Dieses Kapitel vermittelt folgende Lernziele: Wissen, was man unter wissenschaftlicher Datenerhebung versteht und wie sie sich von nicht-wissenschaftlicher Datensammlung unterscheidet. Qualitative und quantitative Beobachtungsmethoden charakterisieren und anwenden können. Qualitative und quantitative Interviewtechniken erläutern und einsetzen können. Qualitative und quantitative selbstadministrierte Fragebogenmethoden differenzieren und entsprechende Fragebögen entwickeln können. Unterschiedliche Arten von projektiven und psychometrischen psychologischen Tests voneinander abgrenzen können und wissen, was bei Testanwendung und Testentwicklung zu beachten ist. Wichtige physiologische Messverfahren für unterschiedliche Organsysteme (z. B. Hirnaktivität, Herz-Kreislauf-Aktivität, elektrodermale Aktivität) in ihren Grundlagen beschreiben und ihrer Aussagekraft einschätzen können. Verschiedene Formen der qualitativen und quantitativen Dokumentenanalyse unterscheiden und dabei insbesondere das Vorgehen bei einer qualitativen und einer quantitativen Inhaltsanalyse vorgefundener Dokumente schildern können. Die Besonderheiten und Vor- und Nachteile der verschiedenen Datenerhebungsmethoden abwägen und die für ein konkretes Forschungsproblem passende(n) Datenerhebungsmethode(n) auswählen können.
Criminology has not systematically identified the cause or causes of perhaps the most seminal event in crime and justice of the last half century: the crime decline of the 1990s. This paper uses a causes-of-effects analysis to infer the mechanisms of the crime decline. This is not a purely academic exercise—there has been a large increase in violence, particularly gun violence at the beginning of the 2020s. Identifying the mechanisms of the last crime decline can inform the development of contemporary strategies. Here, two classes of crime decline causes are proposed: mechanisms that are endogenous to the criminal law system and mechanisms that are exogenous to it. The latter class includes impacts of changes in macroeconomics, consumer behavior, and public interest policy where positive externalities that arose from those factors contributed to the crime decline. A descriptive effect of causes analysis suggests that these exogenous mechanisms contributed disproportionately to the crime decline as compared to endogenous mechanisms. Further, consumer behavior and public interest externalities are well aligned with potential policy levers and particularly salient to current and future efforts to reduce crime and violence prospectively. The analysis suggests that efforts to improve public safety require policies that fall outside of traditional criminal justice approaches.
Death is common in video games and one of the key elements to achieve bestseller status. From an anthropological perspective, near-death experience in video games enables the player to encounter familiarity with this uncharted phenomenon through interaction–which is necessary to understand and include it naturally in life from a metaphysical point of view–given the recreationalcommunicative nature of video games and their capacity for creating culture and horizons of meaning– not just the video game as a device, but also the full transmedia promotional narrative in which players participate first-hand. In this article, we analyze the anthropological and metaphysical components of the representation of death in video games following the German philosopher Hans Blumenberg’s theory of the absolutism of reality, as well as the case of Blasphemous and its promotional storytelling to determine how death appears as a sales concept in the publicity due to its place in the players’ common symbolic consciousness.
This study examines the differences in anxiety, self-esteem, and aggression levels between players of violent and non-violent video game and its connection to gender and age. This survey-based research utilizes survey data from 851 video gamers. The study included 61% men and 39% women. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 45. Participants were administered an anonymous survey including demographics, a questionnaire for video game habits, Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, a state anxiety inventory (STAI-S), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). The results revealed significant differences between males and females, as well as between younger and older gamers. Despite the majority of research showing a positive relationship between violent video game exposure and aggression levels, the results suggest that of the preference for a violent video game over a non-violent one is not, in itself, a cause for increased anxiety, self-esteem, and aggression levels.
The rapid development of computer software and hardware, network technology, and various Internet platforms has brought mankind into a new era. In recent years, “virtual reality” can be regarded as a huge hot spot, whether in the field of industry, education, or research. At present, although the heat has subsided a little, the technical teams involved in various fields are also working collectively to continuously innovate. Based on the mixed teaching mode of English education, this article conducts in-depth research on deep learning and virtual reality technology, integrates deep learning and virtual reality learning environment, and builds a learning model of English education learning environment based on virtual reality. The teaching design of the course aims to fully combine the main content of deep learning with the virtual reality environment. Through experimental research, it is explored whether the learning environment based on virtual reality can promote deep learning. The relevant data of the experimental class and the control class are collected through questionnaires, starting from the four dimensions of motivation dimension, investment dimension, strategy dimension, and result dimension, and conduct a comparative analysis, and use the auxiliary interview method to understand the experience of students and teachers on virtual reality equipment and put forward relevant suggestions.
Intuitively, many people seem to hold that engaging in acts of virtual murder in videogames is morally permissible, whereas engaging in acts of virtual child molestation is morally impermissible. The Gamer’s Dilemma (Luck in Ethics Inf Technol 11:31–36, 2009) challenges these intuitions by arguing that it is unclear whether there is a morally relevant difference between these two types of virtual actions. There are two main responses in the literature to this dilemma. First, attempts to resolve the dilemma by defending an account of the relevant moral differences between virtual murder and virtual child molestation. Second, attempts to dissolve the dilemma by undermining the intuitions that ground it. In this paper, we argue that a narrow version of the Gamer’s Dilemma seems to survive attempts to resolve or dissolve it away entirely, since neither approach seems to be able to solve the dilemma for all cases. We thus provide a contextually sensitive version of the dilemma that more accurately tracks onto the intuitions of gamers. However, we also argue that the intuitions that ground the narrow version of the Dilemma may not have a moral foundation, and we put forward alternative non-moral normative foundations that seem to better account for the remaining intuitive difference between the two types of virtual actions. We also respond to proposed solutions to the Gamer’s Dilemma in novel ways and set out areas for future empirical work in this area.
Two studies examined violent video game effects on aggression-related variables. Study 1 found that real-life violent video game play was positively related to aggressive behavior and delinquency. The relation was stronger for individuals who are characteristically aggressive and for men. Academic achievement was negatively related to overall amount of time spent playing video games. In Study 2, laboratory exposure to a graphically violent video game increased aggressive thoughts and behavior. In both studies, men had a more hostile view of the world than did women. The results from both studies are consistent with the General Affective Aggression Model, which predicts that exposure to violent video games will increase aggressive behavior in both the short term (e.g., laboratory aggression) and the long term (e.g., delinquency).
Over the last 30 years, the video game industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar business. More children and adults are spending time playing computer games, consoles games, and online games than ever before. Violence is a dominant theme in most of the popular video games. This article reviews the current literature on effects of violent video game exposure on aggression-related variables. Exposure to violent video games causes increases in aggressive behavior, cognitions, and affect. Violent video game exposure also causes increases in physiological desensitization to real-life violence and decreases in helping behavior. The current video game literature is interpreted in terms of the general aggression model (GAM). Differences between violent video game exposure and violent television are also discussed.
Evidence of the effects of playing violent video games on subsequent aggression has been mixed. This study examined how playing a violent video game affected levels of aggression displayed in a laboratory. A total of 43 undergraduate students (22 men and 21 women) were randomly assigned to play either a violent (Mortal Kombat) or nonviolent (PGA Tournament Golf) video game for 10 min. Then they competed with a confederate in a reaction time task that allowed for provocation and retaliation. Punishment levels set by participants for their opponents served as the measure of aggression. The results confirmed our hypothesis that playing the violent game would result in more aggression than would playing the nonviolent game. In addition, a Game × Sex interaction showed that this effect was larger for men than for women. Findings are discussed in light of potential differences in aggressive style between men and women.
Research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. The effects appear larger for milder than for more severe forms of aggression, but the effects on severe forms of violence are also substantial ( r = .13 to .32) when compared with effects of other violence risk factors or medical effects deemed important by the medical community (e.g., effect of aspirin on heart attacks). The research base is large; diverse in methods, samples, and media genres; and consistent in overall findings. The evidence is clearest within the most extensively researched domain, television and film violence. The growing body of video-game research yields essentially the same conclusions.
Short-term exposure increases the likelihood of physically and verbally aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, and aggressive emotions. Recent large-scale longitudinal studies provide converging evidence linking frequent exposure to violent media in childhood with aggression later in life, including physical assaults and spouse abuse. Because extremely violent criminal behaviors (e.g., forcible rape, aggravated assault, homicide) are rare, new longitudinal studies with larger samples are needed to estimate accurately how much habitual childhood exposure to media violence increases the risk for extreme violence.
Well-supported theory delineates why and when exposure to media violence increases aggression and violence. Media violence produces short-term increases by priming existing aggressive scripts and cognitions, increasing physiological arousal, and triggering an automatic tendency to imitate observed behaviors. Media violence produces long-term effects via several types of learning processes leading to the acquisition of lasting (and automatically accessible) aggressive scripts, interpretational schemas, and aggression-supporting beliefs about social behavior, and by reducing individuals' normal negative emotional responses to violence (i.e., desensitization).
Certain characteristics of viewers (e.g., identification with aggressive characters), social environments (e.g., parental influences), and media content (e.g., attractiveness of the perpetrator) can influence the degree to which media violence affects aggression, but there are some inconsistencies in research results. This research also suggests some avenues for preventive intervention (e.g., parental supervision, interpretation, and control of children's media use). However, extant research on moderators suggests that no one is wholly immune to the effects of media violence.
Recent surveys reveal an extensive presence of violence in modern media. Furthermore, many children and youth spend an inordinate amount of time consuming violent media. Although it is clear that reducing exposure to media violence will reduce aggression and violence, it is less clear what sorts of interventions will produce a reduction in exposure. The sparse research literature suggests that counterattitudinal and parental-mediation interventions are likely to yield beneficial effects, but that media literacy interventions by themselves are unsuccessful.
Though the scientific debate over whether media violence increases aggression and violence is essentially over, several critical tasks remain. Additional laboratory and field studies are needed for a better understanding of underlying psychological processes, which eventually should lead to more effective interventions. Large-scale longitudinal studies would help specify the magnitude of media-violence effects on the most severe types of violence. Meeting the larger societal challenge of providing children and youth with a much healthier media diet may prove to be more difficult and costly, especially if the scientific, news, public policy, and entertainment communities fail to educate the general public about the real risks of media-violence exposure to children and youth.
Research conducted over several decades has shown that violent media increase aggression. It is now time to move beyond the question of whether violent media increase aggression to answer- ing the question why violent media increase aggression. The pres- ent research tested whether violent video games produce a hostile expectation bias—the tendency to expect others to react to poten- tial conflicts with aggression. Participants (N = 224) played either a violent or nonviolent video game. Next, they read ambig- uous story stems about potential interpersonal conflicts. They were asked what the main character will do, say, think, and feel as the story continues. People who played a violent video game described the main character as behaving more aggressively, thinking more aggressive thoughts, and feeling more angry than did people who played a nonviolent video game. These results are consistent with the General Aggression Model.
For structural equation models, a huge variety of fit indices has been developed. These indices, however, can point to conflicting conclusions about the extent to which a model actually matches the observed data. The present article provides some guide-lines that should help applied researchers to evaluate the adequacy of a given struc-tural equation model. First, as goodness-of-fit measures depend on the method used for parameter estimation, maximum likelihood (ML) and weighted least squares (WLS) methods are introduced in the context of structural equation modeling. Then, the most common goodness-of-fit indices are discussed and some recommendations for practitioners given. Finally, we generated an artificial data set according to a "true" model and analyzed two misspecified and two correctly specified models as examples of poor model fit, adequate fit, and good fit. In structural equation modeling (SEM), a model is said to fit the observed data to the extent that the model-implied covariance matrix is equivalent to the empirical co-variance matrix. Once a model has been specified and the empirical covariance matrix is given, a method has to be selected for parameter estimation. Different estimation meth-ods have different distributional assumptions and have different discrepancy functions to be minimized. When the estimation procedure has converged to a reasonable
Research on violent video games suggests that play leads to aggressive behavior. A longitudinal study of an online violent video game with a control group tested for changes in aggressive cognitions and behaviors. The findings did not support the assertion that a violent game will cause substantial increases in real-world aggression. The findings are presented and discussed, along with their implications for research and policy.
The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) in Spain. The AQ is a 29-item instrument designed to measure the different dimensions of the hostility/anger/aggression construct. It consists of 4 subscales that assess: (a) anger, (b) hostility, (c) verbal aggression, and (d) physical aggression. In Study 1, reliability, construct validity, and convergent validity were evaluated in a group of 384 male and female university students. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using a group of 154 male and female university students. The results of the factor analysis were similar to the scale structure claimed for this instrument. The subscales also showed internal consistency and stability over time. The AQ and its subscales were also compared with the scales and subscales of the Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (Ho), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), and the Jenkins Activity Survey-Form H (JASE-H). The results show that the AQ evaluates some aspects of anger, such as Anger-Trait and Anger-Out, rather than other elements, such as Anger-In or Anger-State. In Study 2, two new male groups were used to evaluate the criterion validity of the AQ: 57 prison inmates and 93 university students, finding that this instrument discriminated between the scores obtained by common offenders and university students.
Electronic game-playing has been linked to adjustment problems in player subgroups. This study examined relationships among time commitment, gender, preference for violent games, and self-concept in 364 fourth and fifth graders. Main effects were identified for game preference and gender, with stronger preference for violent games being associated with lower self-perceived behavioral conduct. Implications for future research are discussed.
The increasing availability of violent video games and their implication in recent school shootings has raised the volume of public debate on the effects of such games on aggressive behavior and related variables. This article reports an experiment designed to test key hypotheses concerning the short term impact of exposure to violent video games on young women, a population that has received relatively little attention in this research literature. Results were that brief exposure to a violent video game increased aggressive behavior. Mediational analyses suggested that the violent video game effect on aggression was not mediated by instrumental aggressive motivation, but was partially mediated by revenge motivation. Other results suggested that the violent video game effect on aggression might be greater when the game player controls a same-sex violent game character. Aggr. Behav. 29:423–429, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Numerous studies have shown that exposure to media violence increases aggression, though the mechanisms of this effect have remained elusive. One theory posits that repeated exposure to media violence desensitizes viewers to real world violence, increasing aggression by blunting aversive reactions to violence and removing normal inhibitions against aggression. Theoretically, violence desensitization should be reflected in the amplitude of the P300 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP), which has been associated with activation of the aversive motivational system. In the current study, violent images elicited reduced P300 amplitudes among violent, as compared to nonviolent video game players. Additionally, this reduced brain response predicted increased aggressive behavior in a later task. Moreover, these effects held after controlling for individual differences in trait aggressiveness. These data are the first to link media violence exposure and aggressive behavior to brain processes hypothetically associated with desensitization.
After 4 decades of severe criticism, the ritual of null hypothesis significance testing—mechanical dichotomous decisions around a sacred .05 criterion—still persists. This article reviews the problems with this practice, including its near-universal misinterpretation of p as the probability that H 0 is false, the misinterpretation that its complement is the probability of successful replication, and the mistaken assumption that if one rejects H 0 one thereby affirms the theory that led to the test. Exploratory data analysis and the use of graphic methods, a steady improvement in and a movement toward standardization in measurement, an emphasis on estimating effect sizes using confidence intervals, and the informed use of available statistical methods is suggested. For generalization, psychologists must finally rely, as has been done in all the older sciences, on replication.
One possible reason for the continued neglect of statistical power analysis in research in the behavioral sciences is the inaccessibility of or difficulty with the standard material. A convenient, although not comprehensive, presentation of required sample sizes is provided. Effect-size indexes and conventional values for these are given for operationally defined small, medium, and large effects. The sample sizes necessary for .80 power to detect effects at these levels are tabled for 8 standard statistical tests: (1) the difference between independent means, (2) the significance of a product-moment correlation, (3) the difference between independent rs, (4) the sign test, (5) the difference between independent proportions, (6) chi-square tests for goodness of fit and contingency tables, (7) 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and (8) the significance of a multiple or multiple partial correlation.
A new questionnaire on aggression was constructed. Replicated factor analyses yielded 4 scales: Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. Correlational analysis revealed that anger is the bridge between both physical and verbal aggression and hostility. The scales showed internal consistency and stability over time. Men scored slightly higher on Verbal Aggression and Hostility and much higher on Physical Aggression. There was no sex difference for Anger. The various scales correlated differently with various personality traits. Scale scores correlated with peer nominations of the various kinds of aggression. These findings suggest the need to assess not only overall aggression but also its individual components.
Two studies examined violent video game effects on aggression-related variables. Study 1 found that real-life violent video game play was positively related to aggressive behavior and delinquency. The relation was stronger for individuals who are characteristically aggressive and for men. Academic achievement was negatively related to overall amount of time spent playing video games. In Study 2, laboratory exposure to a graphically violent video game increased aggressive thoughts and behavior. In both studies, men had a more hostile view of the world than did women. The results from both studies are consistent with the General Affective Aggression Model, which predicts that exposure to violent video games will increase aggressive behavior in both the short term (e.g., laboratory aggression) and the long term (e.g., delinquency).
Research on exposure to television and movie violence suggests that playing violent video games will increase aggressive behavior. A metaanalytic review of the video-game research literature reveals that violent video games increase aggressive behavior in children and young adults. Experimental and nonexperimental studies with males and females in laboratory and field settings support this conclusion. Analyses also reveal that exposure to violent video games increases physiological arousal and aggression-related thoughts and feelings. Playing violent video games also decreases prosocial behavior.
Developmental studies of antisocial behavior (ASB) have found two subgroups of behaviors, roughly described as aggressive and nonaggressive ASB. Theoretical accounts predict that aggressive ASB, which shows greater stability, should have high heritability. In contrast, nonaggressive ASB is very common in adolescence, shows less continuity, and should be influenced both by genes and shared environment. This study explored the genetic and environmental influences on aggressive and nonaggressive ASB in over 1,000 twin pairs aged 8-9 years and again at 13-14 years. Threshold models were fit to the data to incorporate the skew. In childhood, aggressive ASB was highly heritable and showed little influence of shared environment, whereas nonaggressive ASB was significantly influenced both by genes and shared environment. In adolescence, both variables were influenced both by genes and shared envirnmment. The continuity in aggressive antisocial behavior symptoms from childhood to adolescence was largely mediated by genetic influences, whereas continuity in nonaggressive antisocial behavior was mediated both by the shared environment and genetic influences. These data are in agreement with the hypothesis that aggressive ASB is a stable heritable trait as compared to nonaggressive behavior, which is more strongly influenced by the environment and shows less genetic stability over time.
Social learning theory posits that, because aggression against intimates runs in families, children learn how to behave aggressively through watching their parents and being reinforced for their own aggression. This theory considers only environmental influences on familial resemblance; however, familial resemblance could also be due to genetic factors. The current study uses a twin design (134 monozygotic, 41 dizygotic) to examine the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to individual differences in intimate aggression. Model-fitting analyses consistently showed that shared genes explained the familial resemblance in psychological and physical intimate partner aggression; the remaining variance was explained by unique environments. Multivariate model-fitting analyses showed that most of the genetic influences responsible for the receipt of aggression were also responsible for its use, suggesting that there is a genetic predisposition to get involved in aggressive relationships. These results challenge the prevailing theory to explain familial resemblance in intimate aggression.
Three experiments examined the effects of rewarding and punishing violent actions in video games on later aggression-related variables. Participants played one of three versions of the same race-car video game: (a) a version in which all violence was rewarded, (b) a version in which all violence was punished, and (c) a nonviolent version. Participants were then measured for aggressive affect (Experiment 1), aggressive cognition (Experiment 2), and aggressive behavior (Experiment 3). Rewarding violent game actions increased hostile emotion, aggressive thinking, and aggressive behavior. Punishing violent actions increased hostile emotion, but did not increase aggressive thinking or aggressive behavior. Results suggest that games that reward violent actions can increase aggressive behavior by increasing aggressive thinking.
The psychopathic personality can be conceptualized as three interrelated dimensions, (a) an interpersonal style of glibness, grandiosity, and manipulation; (b) an affective disposition of callousness, lack of empathy, and unemotionality; and (c) a behavioral/lifestyle dimension of impulsivity, need for stimulation, and irresponsibility, underpinning a higher order construct, psychopathic personality. The authors used a self-report questionnaire (The Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory) to study the importance of genetic and environmental influences on psychopathic personality traits in a sample of 1,090 monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, aged 16-17 years. Results showed a strong genetic influence behind the higher order "psychopathic personality" factor, underpinned by the three psychopathic personality dimensions. Over and above the effects to the higher order factor, significant unique genetic influences were also found in the callous/unemotional and in the impulsive/irresponsible dimension, but not in the grandiose/manipulative dimension. The authors propose that this latent psychopathic personality factor is a meaningful target for future etiological research.
In this study of 278 children from the seventh and eighth grade of five elementary schools in Enschede, The Netherlands, the relationship between the amount of time children spent on playing video games and aggressive as well as prosocial behaviour was investigated. In addition, the relationship between the preference for aggressive video games and aggressive and prosocial behaviour was studied. No significant relationship was found between video game use in general and aggressive behaviour, but a significant negative relationship with prosocial behaviour was supported. However, separate analyses for boys and girls did not reveal this relationship. More consistent results were found for the preference for aggressive video games: children, especially boys, who preferred aggressive video games were more aggressive and showed less prosocial behaviour than those with a low preference for these games. Further analyses showed that children who preferred playing aggressive video games tended to be less intelligent.
Model Specification Shrinkage Estimators and Testing Bias and Risk Expressions Comparison Problems
After 4 decades of severe criticism, the ritual of null hypothesis significance testing - mechanical dichotomous decisions around a sacred .05 criterion - still persists. This article reviews the problems with this practice, including its near-universal misinterpretation of p as the probability that H0s false, the misinterpretation that its complement is the probability of successful replication, and the mistaken assumption that if one rejects H0 one thereby affirms the theory that led to the test. Exploratory data analysis and the use of graphic methods, a steady improvement in and a movement toward standardization in measurement, an emphasis on estimating effect sizes using confidence intervals, and the informed use of available statistical methods is suggested. For generalization, psychologists must finally rely, as has been done in all the older sciences, on replication.
Many laboratory studies of aggression use a measure known as the modified Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Test (TCRTT), for which validation studies are lacking. Using sound blasts administered by the participant against a fictional human opponent, the TCRTT also allows for multiple methods of measuring aggression. The validity of the TCRTT was tested in 53 college student participants. Participants took a self-report measure of aggressiveness as well as neuropsychological measures of frontal lobe functioning predictive of aggression. Results were not supportive of the TCRTT's validity and indicated concerns regarding the use of the TCRTT as a measure of aggression. Results suggest that labaratory studies of media violence using the TCRTT are of questionable validity.
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Some support for expressed concern over the negative consequences of computer game play was obtained by Colwell and Payne (2000) in a questionnaire survey of UK adolescents. A second study was carried out in Tokyo, Japan, to test for generality of findings. There was strong evidence of similarity in relation to play patterns, but in contrast to the UK sample, number of good friends and self-esteem did not relate to game play. A principal components analysis of a scale to measure needs met by game play resulted in the same two previously obtained factors; ‘companionship’ and ‘prefer to friends’. However, in contrast to the UK sample, ‘companionship’ did not relate to play. A positive relation between the ‘prefer to friends’ factor and play was obtained for both boys and girls (boys only in the UK), thus providing support for the ‘electronic friendship’ hypothesis. There was evidence of a positive relation between play and aggression, but a preference for aggressive games was associated with lower aggression scores, and this raises questions for the ‘causal hypothesis’.
In 1964, I entered the field of Psychology because I believed that within it dwelt some of the most fundamental and challenging problems of the extant sciences. Who could not be in-trigued, for example, by the relation between consciousness and behavior, or the rules guiding interactions in social situations, or the processes that underlie development from infancy to ma-turity? Today, in 1996, my fascination with these problems is undiminished. But I've developed a certain angst over the intervening thirty-something years—a constant, nagging feeling that our field spends a lot of time spinning its wheels without really making all that much pro-gress. This problem shows up in obvious ways—for instance, in the regularity with which findings seem not to replicate. It also shows up in subtler ways—for instance, one doesn't often hear Psychologists saying, "Well this problem is solved now; let's move on to the next one" (as, for example, Johannes Kepler must have said over three centuries ago, after he had cracked the problem of describing planetary motion). I've come to believe that at least part of this problem revolves around our tools—particularly the tools that we use in the critical domains of data analysis and data interpretation. What we do, I sometimes feel, is akin to trying to build a violin using a stone mallet and a chain-saw. The tool-to-task fit is not all that good, and as a re-sult, we wind up building a lot of poor-quality violins.
This study investigated the relationship between violent video games and children's mood. A total of 71 children aged 8 to 12 years played a paper-and-pencil game, a nonviolent video game, and a violent video game. Results indicate that arousal, as measured by heart rate and self-reported arousal, increased significantly after playing the violent video game, as compared with the other two game conditions, with girls reporting more arousal than did boys. There was no significant increase in aggressive mood scores for either boys or girls after playing the violent game. Positive mood, as measured by positive affect, showed no significant increases or decreases after playing either video game. However, positive mood, as measured by general mood, showed a significant increase after playing the violent game for both boys and girls, but only as compared with the paper-and-pencil game. Results are interpreted in terms of social learning and cognitive information processing theories of aggression.
We examined cardiovascular (CV) reactivity and hostility among 30 male undergraduates after either nonviolent (billiards) or 1 of 2 levels of violent videogame play. Violence varied among 2 versions of the game Mortal Kombat (MK1 = less violent, MK2 = more violent)—all other factors (graphics, sound) were held equal. As expected, increased game violence elicited greater CV reactivity and higher scores on hostility measures. Subjects who played MK1 or MK2 had higher heart rate reactivity than those who played billiards. Subjects who played MK2 showed greater systolic blood pressure reactivity than those who played MK1 or billiards. Finally, subjects who played MK2 scored higher on the hostility measures than those who played MK1, who in turn scored higher than those who played billiards. These results indicate that the level of videogame violence, not just violence per se, should be of concern to consumers.
Violent content video games such as Mortal Kombat and Doom have become very popular among children and adolescents, causing great concern for parents, teachers, and policy makers. This study cumulates findings across existing empirical research on the effects of violent video games to estimate overall effect size and discern important trends and moderating variables. Results suggest there is a smaller effect of violent video games on aggression than has been found with television violence on aggression. This effect is positively associated with type of game violence and negatively related to time spent playing the games. Directions for future programmatic research on video games are outlined.
The Einstein evolution equations are studied in a gauge given by a combination of the constant mean curvature and spatial harmonic coordinate conditions. This leads to a coupled quasi-linear elliptic-hyperbolic system of evolution equations. We prove that the Cauchy problem is locally strongly well posed and that a continuation principle holds.For initial data satisfying the Einstein constraint and gauge conditions, the solutions to the elliptic-hyperbolic system defined by the gauge fixed Einstein evolution equations are shown to give vacuum space-times.
Violence in video games has come under increasing research attention over the past decade. Researchers in this area have suggested that violent video games may cause aggressive behavior among players. However, the state of the extant literature has not yet been examined for publication bias. The current meta-analysis is designed to correct for this oversight. Results indicated that publication bias does exist for experimental studies of aggressive behavior, as well as for non-experimental studies of aggressive behavior and aggressive thoughts. Research in other areas, including prosocial behavior and experimental studies of aggressive thoughts were less susceptible to publication bias. Moderator effects results also suggested that studies employing less standardized and reliable measures of aggression tended to produce larger effect sizes. Suggestions for future violent video game studies are provided.
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits-a doctrine held by many intellectuals during the past century-denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts. Injecting calm and rationality into debates that are notorious for ax-grinding and mud-slinging, Pinker shows the importance of an honest acknowledgment of human nature based on science and common sense.
In this study of 278 children from the seventh and eighth grade of five elementary schools in Enschede, The Netherlands, the relationship between the amount of time children spent on playing video games and aggressive as well as prosocial behaviour was investigated. In addition, the relationship between the preference for aggressive video games and aggressive and prosocial behaviour was studied. No significant relationship was found between video game use in general and aggressive behaviour, but a significant negative relationship with prosocial behaviour was supported. However, separate analyses for boys and girls did not reveal this relationship. More consistent results were found for the preference for aggressive video games: children, especially boys, who preferred aggressive video games were more aggressive and showed less prosocial behaviour than those with a low preference for these games. Further analyses showed that children who preferred playing aggressive video games tended to be less intelligent.
There is some concern that playing computer games may be associated with social isolation, lowered self-esteem, and aggression among adolescents. Measures of these variables were included in a questionnaire completed by 204 year eight students at a North London comprehensive school. Principal components analysis of a scale to assess needs fulfilled by game play provided some support for the notion of 'electronic friendship' among boys, but there was no evidence that game play leads to social isolation. Play was not linked to self-esteem in girls, but a negative relationship was obtained between self-esteem and frequency of play in boys. However, self-esteem was not associated with total exposure to game play. Aggression scores were not related to the number of games with aggressive content named among three favourite games, but they were positively correlated with total exposure to game play. A multiple regression analysis revealed that sex and total game play exposure each accounted for a significant but small amount of the variance in aggression scores. The positive correlation between playing computer games and aggression provides some justification for further investigation of the causal hypothesis, and possible methodologies are discussed.
The relationship was examined between exposure to and preference for violent electronic games and aggressive norms as well as hostile attributional style. Following a pilot study to sample widely used electronic games varying in violent content, 231 eighth-grade adolescents in Germany reported their use of and attraction to violent electronic games. They also completed measures of hostile attributional style and endorsement of aggressive norms. There were significant gender differences in usage and attraction to violent electronic games, with boys scoring higher than girls. Significant relationships were found between attraction to violent electronic games and the acceptance of norms condoning physical aggression. Violent electronic games were linked indirectly to hostile attributional style through aggressive norms. The findings are discussed with respect to North American research on the aggression-enhancing effect of violent electronic games.
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