What Effect Does Violent Media Have on Behavior?
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been determined that life will not be the same after the coronavirus. This fact causes researchers, scientists, doctors, and others to question how not only the economy will get back to safe ground, but how individuals both on a personal and social level will be affected. One way a lot of people are filling their time is with media. Various media outlets have seen a steep increase in the amount of people watching tv shows, playing video games, and scrolling on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Over the years, a lot of research projects have looked at the impact media has on varied aspects of people’s lives. For example, researchers have studied whether immersing oneself in violent media is related to violent behavior.
In the talk, “The Effects of Media Violence on Behavior and Emotional Processing,” Dr. Laura Stockdale discussed the research she and colleagues have conducted about impact violent media has on behavior. Stockdale and colleagues have performed numerous studies focused on this topic. In one study, researchers had 25 participants watch either a violent or a nonviolent film, after which each participant participated in a stop-signal task which required quick thinking and focused on response inhibition. After watching one of the two films, 50% of participants were shown a face on a screen and asked to respond if the face was happy or sad. The other 50% of participants were shown a face on the screen also but were given a stop-signal that let the participants know to not respond to the face on the screen. Researchers saw that the brain of individuals that had just watched a violent film spent less time overall processing the emotional information of a face, compared to the brain of individuals that had just watched a nonviolent film. From this study, researchers concluded that violent media can result in cognitive desensitization to the emotions of others.
In a similar article, “Do video games with shooting affect kids’ behavior with real guns?” researchers looked at whether individuals playing a game involving shooting will be more likely to handle a real gun compared to individuals playing a nonviolent game. The research included 220 children, each of which were paired together. The researchers used the semi-violent game Minecraft in the experiment. The pairs of children were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups that included various versions of Minecraft, (1) violent with guns, (2) violent with swords, or (3) nonviolent with no weapons. One child in each pair would play the appropriate game assigned while the other watched. After 20 minutes of playing the game, the children were sent to another room filled with toys which included a cabinet containing two disabled guns. Researchers found that the children that had been exposed to one of the two violent versions of Minecraft were more likely to become involved in the concerning and unsafe behavior of pulling the trigger at either themselves or the other child paired with them than the children that had played the nonviolent version of Minecraft. This showed that violent video games do impact aggressive behavior.
Contrarily, the article “Want to boost creativity? Try playing Minecraft” researchers explained that video games can promote creativity. A majority of video games prompt users to use some level of creativity while playing video games. This creativity is encouraged through the creation of inventive strategies or an original character. The researchers claim that even in violent first-person shooter games, users could be inspired to be creative in their strategies while looking for advantages during conflict. Researchers encourage individuals to not disregard the positive educational influence video games could have on users.
Media comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and genres. Some users are more drawn toward romance while others prefer violence. Research has shown that violent media can lead to aggressive behavior. That being said, violent media can also lead to creativity. It is important that we are wary of the negative effects violent media has on behavior and realize that individuals that play violent video games are more inclined to be aggressive compared to individuals that play nonviolent video games. However, it is also important that we acknowledge the constructive educational opportunities video games, both violent and nonviolent, give to users.
References
State University. (2019). Want to boost creativity? Try playing Minecraft. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved April 29, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190708140051.htm
A Network Open. (2019). Do video games with shooting affect kids' behavior with real guns?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 29, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190531143111.htm
Stockdale, Laura A., Robert G. Morrison, Matthew J. Kmiecik, James Garbarino, and
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