Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study
Previous research has shown that exposure to violent video games increases aggression, whereas exposure to prosocial video games can reduce aggressive behavior. However, little is known about the neural correlates of these behavioral effects. This work is the first to investigate the electrophysiolo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00193/full |
| _version_ | 1818023473147019264 |
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| author | Yanling eLiu Yanling eLiu Zhaojun eTeng Haiying eLan Xin eZhang Dezhong eYao |
| author_facet | Yanling eLiu Yanling eLiu Zhaojun eTeng Haiying eLan Xin eZhang Dezhong eYao |
| author_sort | Yanling eLiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous research has shown that exposure to violent video games increases aggression, whereas exposure to prosocial video games can reduce aggressive behavior. However, little is known about the neural correlates of these behavioral effects. This work is the first to investigate the electrophysiological features of the relationship between playing a prosocial video game and inhibition of aggressive behavior. Forty-nine subjects played either a prosocial or a neutral video game for 20 minutes, then participated in an event-related potential (ERP) experiment based on an oddball paradigm and designed to test electrophysiological responses to prosocial and violent words. Finally, subjects completed a competitive reaction time task (CRTT), which is based on Taylor’s Aggression Paradigm and measures both reaction time and noise intensity preference as indices of aggressive behavior. The results show that the prosocial video game group (compared to the neutral video game group) displayed smaller P300 amplitudes, were more accurate in distinguishing violent words, and were less aggressive as evaluated by the CRTT (noise intensity preference). A mediation analysis shows that the P300 amplitude evoked by violent words partially mediates the relationship between type of video game and subsequent aggressive behavior. The results support theories based on the General Learning Model. We provide converging behavioral and neural evidence that exposure to prosocial media may reduce aggression. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T03:44:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d2c3257de7c64ff0b932e5498ac0867c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T03:44:52Z |
| publishDate | 2015-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-d2c3257de7c64ff0b932e5498ac0867c2022-12-22T02:03:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532015-07-01910.3389/fnbeh.2015.00193132757Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential StudyYanling eLiu0Yanling eLiu1Zhaojun eTeng2Haiying eLan3Xin eZhang4Dezhong eYao5Southwest UniversityUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaSouthwest UniversitySouthwest UniversitySouthwest UniversityUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaPrevious research has shown that exposure to violent video games increases aggression, whereas exposure to prosocial video games can reduce aggressive behavior. However, little is known about the neural correlates of these behavioral effects. This work is the first to investigate the electrophysiological features of the relationship between playing a prosocial video game and inhibition of aggressive behavior. Forty-nine subjects played either a prosocial or a neutral video game for 20 minutes, then participated in an event-related potential (ERP) experiment based on an oddball paradigm and designed to test electrophysiological responses to prosocial and violent words. Finally, subjects completed a competitive reaction time task (CRTT), which is based on Taylor’s Aggression Paradigm and measures both reaction time and noise intensity preference as indices of aggressive behavior. The results show that the prosocial video game group (compared to the neutral video game group) displayed smaller P300 amplitudes, were more accurate in distinguishing violent words, and were less aggressive as evaluated by the CRTT (noise intensity preference). A mediation analysis shows that the P300 amplitude evoked by violent words partially mediates the relationship between type of video game and subsequent aggressive behavior. The results support theories based on the General Learning Model. We provide converging behavioral and neural evidence that exposure to prosocial media may reduce aggression.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00193/fullP300Agressionevent-related potential (ERP)General learning modelprosocial video game |
| spellingShingle | Yanling eLiu Yanling eLiu Zhaojun eTeng Haiying eLan Xin eZhang Dezhong eYao Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience P300 Agression event-related potential (ERP) General learning model prosocial video game |
| title | Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_full | Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_fullStr | Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_short | Short-Term Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggression: An Event-Related Potential Study |
| title_sort | short term effects of prosocial video games on aggression an event related potential study |
| topic | P300 Agression event-related potential (ERP) General learning model prosocial video game |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00193/full |
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