The Effects on Computer Games on Aggression (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note

Cultivation theory, computer games & aggression

• Cultivation theory (Gerbner, 1969) argues that repeated exposure to media content gradually shapes, or 'cultivates', the consumer's perception of social reality

• Cultivation theory claims that the more exposure someone has to media images/messages, e.g., in the form of computer games, the more likely that their perceptions of reality will be distorted

• Examples of a distorted perception of reality which may evolve via regular computer gaming might include

  • believing that the world is a violent/hostile place based on the number of violent computer games played regularly

  • overestimating the likelihood that you will be involved in some sort of aggressive/violent interaction with one or more other people

  • developing stereotyped views of women, minorities, law enforcement, etc., due to their representations in violent computer games

• Gerbner used the term 'mean world syndrome' to describe a cognitive bias in which heavy media consumers perceive the world as more dangerous, or 'meaner', than it actually is

• Although Gerbner focused on the impact of TV, the theory applies equally to computer games, particularly MMORPGs

• Real-life contact with others, particularly people from social groups who appear as stereotypes in computer games, may help to modify this distorted perception of reality

Research which investigates cultivation theory, computer games & aggression

• Williams (2006) – a longitudinal controlled experiment in which participants played an online role-playing game for a month, and found that players subsequently gave higher estimates of the likelihood of being the victim of the specific type of violence depicted in the game, but not of real-world violence in general

• Fox & Potocki (2015) – a survey of 351 adults (male and female) found a relationship between computer games, interpersonal aggression and hostile sexism i.e. the normalising of violence against women

Desensitisation, computer games & aggression

• Desensitisation is the process by which repeated exposure to a stimulus that once caused alarm, fear or aversion reduces the emotional and physiological response to it

• Desensitisation translates as losing sensitivity towards a specific stimulus, e.g., violent computer games, so that an initially heightened response becomes ‘damped down’ i.e. violence and aggression in the game are viewed as ‘normal’

• Desensitisation is a physiological process

  • The sympathetic nervous system is triggered in the presence of violence or aggression, producing increased heart rate and a surge of adrenaline as part of the fight or flight response

• If someone plays a lot of violent computer games, they will, over time, become inured to the effects of this violence, and they are likely to experience decreasing emotional responses to it

• Someone who is desensitised to violence is less likely to view violence and aggression as bad/harmful/toxic, and they may feel little or no sympathy for the victims of violence

• Links have been suggested between desensitisation through violent computer games and instances of real-life violence, although this remains highly contested and no causal relationship has been established

Research which investigates desensitisation, computer games & aggression

• Brockmyer (2021) – a review article which concluded that exposure to violent computer games increases the risk of desensitisation to violence, which in turn may increase aggression and decrease prosocial behaviour

• Carnagey et al. (2007) – participants played a violent or non-violent computer game for 20 minutes, then watched a 10-minute video of real-life violence, and those who had played the violent game showed lower heart rate and galvanic skin response while watching, suggesting physiological desensitisation to violent content

Evaluation of the effect of computer games on aggression

Strengths

• Understanding these processes could inform intervention strategies to tackle aggressive and antisocial behaviour, for example by challenging attitudes normalised through repeated media exposure

• Anderson et al. (2010) performed a meta-analysis of 136 studies using experimental, correlational and longitudinal methods, and found that exposure to violent computer games was associated with increases in aggressive behaviours, thoughts and feelings

  • This was true for both males and females and across collectivist and individualist cultures, the higher quality studies showed an even greater effect, and the analysis showed no indication that publication bias had influenced the results

Limitations

• Not all research supports desensitisation; e.g., Gao et al. (2017) found via fMRI that participants who regularly played violent computer games showed no difference in the activity of brain regions associated with empathy when viewing images of people in pain than non-players 

• Correlational studies cannot establish the direction of causality, as a positive correlation between viewing violent media and aggressive behaviour fits two competing hypotheses

  • The socialisation hypothesis states that violent media causes people to become more aggressive, whereas the selection hypothesis claims that people who are already aggressive select aggressive media, and correlational evidence cannot settle which is correct

Issues & Debates

• Suggesting a strong link between gaming and aggression can have socially sensitive implications, especially when violent incidents are blamed on games

  • It may lead to stereotyping of gamers, especially young males, and ignore wider societal or psychological causes of aggression

• Cultivation theory and desensitisation suggest that exposure to violent computer games determines aggressive thoughts and behaviours, implying limited personal control

  • However, not everyone exposed to violent games becomes aggressive, suggesting an element of free will and personal choice in behaviour