title: Effects of Prosocial, Neutral, and Violent Video Games on Children's Helpful and Hurtful Behaviors.
abstract: Recent research reveals that playing prosocial video games increases prosocial cognitions, positive affect, and helpful behaviors [Gentile et al., 2009; Greitemeyer and Osswald, 2009, 2010, 2011]. These results are consistent with the social-cognitive models of social behavior such as the general learning model [Buckley and Anderson, 2006]. However, no experimental studies have examined such effects on children. Previous research on violent video games suggests that short-term effects of video games are largely based on priming of existing behavioral scripts. Thus, it is unclear whether younger children will show similar effects. This research had 9-14 years olds play a prosocial, neutral, or violent video game, and assessed helpful and hurtful behaviors simultaneously through a new tangram measure. Prosocial games increased helpful and decreased hurtful behavior, whereas violent games had the opposite effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Center for the Study of Violence, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA. msaleem@iastate.edu
authors.forename: Muniba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gentile
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008297:Male; D012951:Socialization; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: aggression; helping; media violence; prosocial media; video games