Video Games and Aggression

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that the General Affective Aggression Model (GAAM) is one of the leading theories in the field of aggression, which argues that exposure to violent video games can increase short-term aggression (20 minutes following exposure to a video game) over long periods of time. The author states that the experimental hypothesis is that children who play violent video games are more likely to be more aggressive on the playground. The paper describes a research design with three experimental groups consisting of randomly selected 8 to 10-year-old boys and girls. The experimental group plays a violent video game (e.g., Kung Fu), one control group plays a non-violent video game (e.g., Ms. Pac Man) and another control group will consist of children that did not play a video game.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Literature Review
Proposed Study
Methods and Statistical Analysis
Participation
Design and Procedures
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Certainly, the literature available notes several limitations on this type of study. One important constraint is that this experimental design does not allow researchers to determine the effect of video game violence in a 'real' or 'playful' environment. Goldstein notes that voluntary exposure to violent video games may have a different effect than enforced exposure on aggression. In the lab, video games are not entered into in a playful frame of mind, as they are in the 'real' world. However, the need for a controlled, experimental situation in this experiment makes such a distinction difficult."

More papers on Video Games and Aggression:

• Analytical Essay # 9827 : "Violent Video Games and Aggressive Behavior"
• Research Proposal # 109698 : "Video Games and Violent Children"
• Analytical Essay # 133931 : "Television, Video Games and Aggression"

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