Media - computer games

Question 1

What are the 3 types of study used to investigate the effects of computer games?

Answer 1

Experimental
Correlational
Longitudinal

Question 2

Who did an experimental study?

Answer 2

Bartholow and Anderson

Question 3

What was the procedure for Bartholow and Anderson’s experimental study?

Answer 3

• Students either played a violent or nonviolent computer game for 10 minutes.
• They then all carried out the Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task (a standard lab measure of aggression, in which students delivered blasts of white noise at chosen volumes to punish nonexistent opponents).

Question 4

What were the findings for Bartholow and Anderson’s experimental study?

Answer 4

Those who played the violent video game selected significantly higher noise levels compared with the nonviolent players.

Question 5

What is a positive of the experimental study?

Answer 5

Allowed us to establish cause and effect.

Question 6

What are the 2 negatives of the experimental study?

Answer 6

Situation = artificial and unrealistic (although eases ethical issues).
Unrealistic as experiments don’t involve any fear of retaliation.

Question 7

Who did a correlational study?

Answer 7

DeLisi

Question 8

What was the procedure of DeLisi’s correlational study?

Answer 8

• Studied 227 juvenile offenders, all with histories of serious aggressive behaviour (e.g. hitting parents or teachers).
• Using a structured interview, they gathered data on several measures of aggression and violent computer game playing.

Question 9

What were the findings of DeLisi’s correlational study?

Answer 9

• They found that the offenders aggressive behaviour was significantly correlated with how often they played violent computer games and how much they enjoyed them.

Question 10

State the negatives of the correlational study.

Answer 10

• Inability to draw cause and effect - no variables are manipulated, no random allocation of participants to violent and nonviolent media conditions.
• Confounding variables.
• People who are already aggressive tend to select aggressive media (selective hypothesis).

Question 11

Who conducted a longitudinal study?

Answer 11

Robertson

Question 12

What was the procedure of Robertson’s longitudinal study?

Answer 12

• Studied 1037 people born in New Zealand in 1972-3 and measured their TV viewing hours at regular intervals up to the age of 26.

Question 13

What were the findings of Robertson’s longitudinal study?

Answer 13

• They found that time spent watching TV was a reliable predictor aggressive behaviour in adulthood, measured in terms of convictions for aggressive and violent crimes.
• Those who watched the most TV were also more likely to be diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and to have aggressive personality traits.

Question 14

State a positive of the longitudinal study.

Answer 14

Views people as active consumers rather than as passive recipients so more realistic.

Question 15

State a negative of the longitudinal study.

Answer 15

Confounding variables (eg models).

Question 16

Who conducted a meta-analysis into computer games effects on aggression?

Answer 16

Anderson

Question 17

What was Anderson’s procedure and what did he find?

Answer 17

• 136 studies which included all 3 types of methodology (longitudinal. experimental and correlational).
• Found that exposure to violent games was associated with increased aggressive behaviours, thoughts and feelings.
• This was true in both males and females in both collectivist and individualist cultures.