Short- and Long-Term Effects of Video Game Violence on Interpersonal Trust |
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| Authors: | Tobias Rothmund Mario Gollwitzer Jens Bender Christoph Klimmt |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany rothmund@uni-landau.de;3. Department of Psychology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany;4. Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany;5. Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hannover University of Music, Drama, and Media, Hannover, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Two studies investigate the psychological processes underlying short- and long-term effects of video game violence on interpersonal trust. Study 1 demonstrates that interacting with physically aggressive virtual agents decreases players' trust in subsequent interactions. This effect was stronger for players who were dispositionally sensitive to victimization. In Study 2, long-term effects of adolescents' frequent exposure to video game violence on interpersonal trust and victim sensitivity were investigated. Cross-lagged path analyses show that the reported frequency of playing violent video games reduced interpersonal trust over a period of 12 months, particularly among victim-sensitive players. These findings are in line with the sensitivity to mean intentions (SeMI) model, and they suggest that interpersonal mistrust is a relevant long-term outcome of frequent exposure to video game violence. |
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