9. Effects of computer games

• Experimental studies researchers

  • Bartholow and Anderson (2002) 
  • Lab-based and looks at short-term effect 
• Bartholow and Anderson (2002) - procedure

  • Students played violent computer games (Mortal Kombat) or non-violent (PGA Tournament Golf)  
  • Ten minutes  
  • Carried out the Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task (TCRTT) - standard laboratory measure of aggressive 
  • Delivered blasts of white noise at chosen volumes to punish a non-existent opponent 
• Bartholow and Anderson (2002) - findings

  • Mortal Kombat participants delivered significantly higher noise levels compared to PGA Tournament golf  
  • 5.97 and 4.60 
• Experimental studies - A03

  • Greatest strength is that it allows for a causal link between media aggression and aggressive behaviour - 😊 
  • Measure of aggression in lab studies are often accused of being artificial and unrealistic –e.g. the TCRTT- 🙁 
  • Would be unethical to allow realistic forms aggression in a lab - e.g. letting people hit each other - so researchers have no choice but to be creative in finding out ways to measure aggression -🙁  
  • Do not involve fear of retaliation - unlike in the real world - the experimenter gives participant implied permission to be ‘safely’ aggressive - 🙁  
• Correlational studies researchers

  • DeLesi et al. (2013)  
  • Investigate real-life variables and may be short-term 
  • Researchers look at the relationship between two or more variables 
• DeLesi et al. (2013) - procedure

  • Studied 227 juvenile offenders  
  • All had serious histories of aggression - hitting a teacher or parent or gang fighting.  
  • Using structured interviews - gathered data on several measures of aggression and violent computer game-playing  
• DeLesi et al. (2013) - findings

  • Found aggressive behaviour was significantly correlated with how often they played violent computer games and how much they enjoyed then  
  • Argued that link is so well-established that aggression should be a public health issue like HIV and AIDS  
• Correlational studies - AO3

  • Allow us to investigate realistic forms of aggression including violent crime - 😊  
  • Inability to draw cause and effect relationship as no variable are manipulated or controlled. No random allocation or participants to violent or non-violent media - 🙁  
• Longitudinal studies researchers

  • Robertson et al (2013)
  • long term effects of aggression
  • Researcher looks participants over a longer-period of time - over 1 year at least
• Robertson et al (2013) 


  Wanted to see if there was link between ‘excessive’ television watching in childhood and aggressive behaviour in adulthood  
• Robertson et al (2013) - procedure

  • Studies 1037 people born in New Zealand
  • Measures TV viewing hours at regular intervals up until age of 26 
• Robertson et al (2013) - findings

  • Time spent watching TV was reliable indicator of aggressive behaviour late on in adulthood  
  • Measure this and drew up their conclusions based upon conviction for aggressive and violent crimes  
  • Those who watched most TV more likely to diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and have more aggressive personality traits  
  • This means that TV may be the most important media related factor influencing aggressive behaviour 
• Longitudinal studies - AO3

  • Researchers are able to use this methodology to look at how aggressive behaviour changes over time. Dynamic nature means that the long-term impacts of violent media can be studied - 😊  
  • It views people as active consumers rather than just passive recipients – allows for a more realistic view on how people interact with the media - 😊  
  • Leaves studies vulnerable to confounding variables as they’re over a longer period of time. Other sources in participants lives may have led to their aggressive behaviour e.g. role models like family and friends. - 🙁 
• Meta-analysis  researchers

  • Involves drawing up conclusions based upon multiple researchers findings 
  • Anderson et al (2010) 
• Anderson et al (2010) - procedure 


  Meta-analysis of 136 studies #Included all three of the types of methodologies listed above  
• Anderson et al (2010) - findings

  • Exposure to violent computer games was associated with aggressive behaviour, thoughts and feelings  
  • True for both males and females across collectivist and individualistic cultures  
  • Furthermore, hight quality studies showed even greater significant effect  
  • Researchers claim that the effect of violent games and aggressive behaviour has a greater effect compared to second-hand smoking and cancer  
  • It further shows that there was no indication of any publisher bias that may have influenced the results 
• Meta-analysis - AO3

  • Publication bias
  • The tendency to only publish findings which are statistically significant
  • Meta-analysis may only involve these published studied which show a statically significant results
  • So this publication bias may create a false impression that the effects of violent media on aggression are greater than they actually are