ERIC Number: ED461420
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2001-Apr
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Aggressive Attitudes and Behaviors.
Lynch, Paul J.; Gentile, Douglas A.; Olson, Abbie A.; van Brederode, Tara M.
Video games have become one of the favorite activities of children in America. A growing body of research links violent video game play to aggressive cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors. This study tested the predictions that exposure to violent video game content is: (1) positively correlated with hostile attribution bias; (2) positively correlated with arguments with teachers and physical fights; (3) negatively correlated with school performance; and (4) positively correlated with hostility. Participating in the study were 607 eighth and ninth graders from 4 schools. Each prediction was supported. Youth who exposed themselves to greater amounts of video game violence saw the world as a more hostile place, were more hostile themselves, got into arguments with teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school. Video game violence exposure was a significant predictor of physical fights even when respondent sex, hostility level, and weekly amount of game play were statistically controlled. The findings suggest that video game violence is a risk factor for aggressive behavior and that parental involvement in video game play may act as a protective factor for youth. Results support the framework of the General Aggression Model. (Contains 3 tables and 33 references.) (Author/KB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (Minneapolis, MN, April 19-22, 2001).