Aggression and psychopathology in adolescents with a preference for violent electronic games

Associations between a preference for violent electronic games and adolescents’ self‐perceptions of problem behaviors and emotions were examined. It was predicted that a preference for violent games would be associated with negative externalizing characteristics, in particular aggressive emotions and behaviors, on the Youth Self‐Report (YSR), a standardized self‐report measure of adolescent problem behaviors. Thirty‐two 11‐ through 15‐year‐olds (17 girls) listed and categorized favorite electronic games into one of six predetermined categories and completed the YSR. MANOVA revealed significant relationships between a preference for violent games and the Thought Problems subscale (P < .01) and YSR Total Score (P < .05), with trends noted for the Internalizing (P < .06) and Anxious‐Depressed (P < .08) subscales. Expected relationships with externalizing behaviors, including aggression, were not found. However, across all YSR subscales, children with higher preference for violent games had more clinically significant elevations than those with low preference for violent games. On the Total Problems subscale, of the eight children receiving scores in the clinically significant range, six were in the High preference group (three boys and three girls). The failure to find the expected relationships between a preference for violent games and aggressive, externalizing behaviors is puzzling. It is possible that individuals with a preference for violent games may have high exposure to all forms of media violence. Their perceptions of their own behavior, in comparison, may not seem sufficiently aggressive to justify endorsement of problems in this area. Or, playing violent electronic games may promote a disconnection between the emotions normally associated with violence and violent acts. These explanations are consistent with a desensitization model where exposure to media violence decreases sensitivity to aggression. Aggr. Behav. 28:134–144, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Prosociality and morality through the lens of personality psychology

Prosociality and morality are critical to the functioning and flourishing of society. There is, however, great variation in the degree to which individuals help or hinder one another, or adhere to ethical standards of “rightness.” One way to understand this variation is by drawing on theories and models within personality psychology, which may illuminate the basic individual characteristics that drive a wide range of other-regarding tendencies. In this review, we provide a snapshot of three research strands addressing these themes. The first concerns how personality traits map onto prosocial preferences for fairness and cooperation, as studied using classic social decision-making tasks called economic games. The second concerns the robust associations between personality traits and indicators of inter-group prejudice (e.g., authoritarian ideology). The third concerns the emerging concept of moral exceptionality, and the personality traits that may characterise individuals at the forefront of moral progress. These examples demonstrate the core role that personality psychology is playing in the study of prosocial and moral behaviour, as well as the critical mass emerging in the Australian context around these themes.     

Learning a second language by playing a game

Game‐like educational apps are intended to boost learner motivation leading to better learning outcomes. To test this idea about the value of gamification, college students (n = 64) learned Italian by playing the online language learning game, Duolingo at home for seven sessions, or learned the same material through watching an online slideshow for seven sessions. Although the groups did not differ significantly on achievement posttests, the Duolingo group rated their learning experience as significantly more enjoyable (d = 0.77), more appealing (d = 1.17), and less difficult (d = 0.51), and was significantly more willing to continue with similar learning experiences (d = 1.39). Overall, these results point to the motivational and affective benefits of Duolingo as a promising alternative to more traditional methods for students who may require additional motivation not to disengage from the material.     

视频游戏对成功老龄化的影响

老龄化已成为世界性问题, 数字化技术的发展以及视频游戏的迅速普及, 使视频游戏对老年人的影响也逐渐为研究者所关注。游戏中认知功能的训练能有效延缓认知老化; 游戏中体验到的积极情绪以及与其他玩家的互动可以提高心理健康水平; 网络视频游戏还能增加老年人的社会交往, 扩大社交网络, 增强社会功能; 此外, 互动视频游戏还能使老年人进行更多的身体锻炼。未来研究应进一步探讨视频游戏对成功老龄化更全面的影响, 老年玩家在视频游戏中的性别差异, 如何在中国文化背景下理解视频游戏带来的积极影响以及进行应用研究, 针对老年人的实际需要为游戏开发提供建议。     

Motor Improvement Using Motion Sensing Game Devices for Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation

The authors aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention based on interactive game set with the movement sensor Kinect on children with cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty-eight participants were recruited. Their age was between 3 and 12 years old, and rated as level I, II, or III on the Gross Motor Function Classification System. They played two games from the Xbox 360 Kinect system and were evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) after a period of 8 weeks. The intervention led to significant motor function improvement as increase of the global scores on the GMFM (p < .001). Rehabilitation interventions using the Xbox 360 Kinect interactive games may represent useful tools for children with CP.     

Modelling simultaneous games in dynamic logic

We make a proposal for formalizing simultaneous games at the abstraction level of player’s powers, combining ideas from dynamic logic of sequential games and concurrent dynamic logic. We prove completeness for a new system of ‘concurrent game logic’ CDGL with respect to finite non-determined games. We also show how this system raises new mathematical issues, and throws light on branching quantifiers and independence-friendly evaluation games for first-order logic.     

Helping traumatized warriors: Mobilizing emotions,unsettling orders

Within the span of a week in late November 2013, three Canadian Forces members committed suicide. Another suicide was reported in early December. This spate of soldiers taking their own lives caused uproar among military families and suicide survivors. Our interest in these suicides is the discourses around helping traumatized warriors and veterans that seem to be circulating both in tandem and at odds with one another. We draw on Michel Foucault's ideas about discourse, truth games, and parrhēsia to unravel some of the complicated connections within the discourse of helping traumatized soldiers. Using the analytical method of audiography, we make the case for understanding these discourses as parts of authoritative narratives and echoed narratives. We pay close attention to the embeddedness of emotion in the discursive practices of help-seeking and help-offering and to the mobilization of emotion within the asymmetries in the practice of power. We close with comments about the mediated effects of military and state hierarchies in discourses of helping traumatized warriors.     

Playing counter-strike versus running: The impact of leisure time activities and cortisol on intermediate-term memory in male students

The everyday life of students is characterized by hours of learning in order to pass exams. After learning they tend to opt for an occupation that provides them with a great deal of entertainment. It is obvious that it would be advantageous if the chosen activity had a positive impact on memory consolidation. Due to the circumstance that such activities can lead to stress and that memory is affected by stress we wanted to look at these coherences. We examined the effect of two different common leisure time activities on cortisol and memory to be able to formulate recommendations for society. For this purpose, a group was tested before and after playing a violent computer game while the second group was tested before and after running. In addition, a control group was set up. Salivary cortisol was measured at the beginning, during, and at the end of the experiment.Our data demonstrates that running increases cortisol levels and, performed immediately after a learning period, facilitates memorization of neutral information. In contrast, playing a violent computer game tends to impair memorization.The results of the present study have practical implications for the choice of recreational activities in the context of learning.     

儿童公平行为的发展——来自博弈实验的证据

公平正义一直是人类不懈追求的目标,是心理学、经济学等多个学科共同关注的一个重要课题。发展心理学常采用故事法对儿童的公平认知进行研究,博弈范式的引入则为研究儿童的公平行为提供了新的方法和角度。该文主要介绍了独裁者博弈和最后通牒博弈中儿童公平行为的发展趋势,并对已有的矛盾性结论进行了原因分析,探讨了公平行为的内团体偏差效应、公平的本质是意图公平还是结果公平、以及心理理论与公平行为的关系等问题。最后,该文指出今后对儿童公平行为的研究应充分考虑社会情境与社会认知能力的影响。