Psychological Effects of Violent Video Games on Adolescents

1. Psychological Effects of Violent Video Games on Adolescents Psychological Effects of Violent Video Games on Adolescents By: Kenneth Troy By: Kenneth Troy

2. Table of Contents • Background Information • Social Performance • Length of Time Played • Social Learning Theory • Operant Conditioning • Conclusion

3. Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist of Pew Internet and American Life Project: • Video games are found in 80% of homes with children 8-16 years old • 87% of adolescents age 12-17 play video games Background Information • Professor Jeanne B. Funk, Ph.D. in Psychology: • 1993 study found that 88% of boys and 64% of girls play video games (min. 1 hour) • 29% of boys play 3-6 hours a week

4. Tracy L. Dietz, Ph.D. and head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Central Florida University: • Analyzed 33 best-selling video games in 1998 • 79% contained violence • 23.8% on average had high rates of killing; at least every minute Background Information Professor Jeanne B. Funk, Ph.D. in Psychology: 1993 study Human Violence (17%) Fantasy Violence (31.9%)

5. Social Performance • Craig Anderson, recipient of a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University and B.J. Bushman, Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Missouri: • Increase in aggressive behavior, aggressive emotions, aggressive cognitions, psychological arousal • Decrease in helping behavior David A. Gentile, head of the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University: Increase in aggressive behavior, aggressive emotions, aggressive cognitions and psychological stimulations Symptoms can linger up to 24 hours Direct association with increase physical altercation/verbal quarrels

6. Am I at risk to negative social performance from violent video games? Social Performance • Anderson & Bushman: • Aggressive behavior & aggressive cognition +.2 effect size • Aggressive emotions & psychological arousal +.175 effect size • Helping behavior -.27 effect size • What does that even mean? • Comparable to effect sizes of experiencing second hand smoke at work and contracting lung cancer

7. What if I play longer than my friends do? • John L. Sherry, Professor of Communications at Michigan State University: 2006 Study • Longer play time has no correlation to heightened changes in aggression • “Overall, this analysis suggests that there is a correlation between violent video game play and aggression.” Length of Time Played

8. So how does the Social Learning Theory fit in with playing video games? Albert Bandura, 1977 “The ability of learning is highly dependent upon one’s observation of social interactions and behaviors of others.” Social Learning Theory Learning also occurs through the observation of rewards and punishments

9. So I understand how the social learning theory applies to video games, but what about operant conditioning? Operant Conditioning: An individual’s behavior is modified by its antecedents and consequences Operant Conditioning Reinforcement – Increase Behavior Positive: Add appetitive stimulus Giving a dog a bone Negative: Remove noxious stimulus Turning off alarm clock Punishment – Decrease Behavior Positive: Add noxious stimulus Spanking a child Negative: Remove appetitive stimulus Taking away a child’s toy

10. Conclusion Video games are ubiquitous; the majority of video games played contain violence They are played for multiple hours per week Pose negative threats: Increasing aggressive behavior, cognition, emotions and psychological arousal. Decrease helping behaviors Operant Conditioning & Social Learning The brains of young adolescents are extremely malleable, reinforcement from violent video games will increase these behaviors