Psychological Effects of Violent Video Games on

Adolescents

By: Kenneth Troy

Psychological Effects of Violent Video Games on

Adolescents

By: Kenneth Troy

Table of Contents

• Background Information• Social Performance• Length of Time Played• Social Learning Theory• Operant Conditioning• Conclusion

Background Information

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

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

Background Information

Professor Jeanne B. Funk, Ph.D. in Psychology: 1993 study

• Human Violence (17%)

• Fantasy Violence (31.9%)

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

Social Performance

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 quarrelsCraig 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

Social Performance

Anderson & Bushman:

• Aggressive behavior & aggressive cognition +.2 effect size

• Aggressive emotions & psychological arousal +.175 effect size

• Helping behavior -.27 effect sizeWhat does that even mean?

• Comparable to effect sizes of experiencing second hand smoke at work and contracting lung cancer

Am I at risk to negative social performance from violent video games?

Length of Time Played

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.”

What if I play longer than my friends do?

Social Learning Theory

Learning also occurs through the observation of rewards and punishments

Albert Bandura, 1977

“The ability of learning is highly dependent upon one’s observation of social interactions and behaviors of others.”

So how does the Social Learning Theory fit in with playing video games?

Operant Conditioning

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

Reinforcement – Increase Behavior

Positive: Add appetitive stimulusGiving a dog a bone

Negative: Remove noxious stimulus

Turning off alarm clock

Punishment – Decrease Behavior

Positive: Add noxious stimulusSpanking a child

Negative: Remove appetitive stimulus

Taking away a child’s toy

ConclusionVideo 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