Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Lacko, David
• Machackova, Hana
• Smahel, David

Titel

Does violence in video games impact aggression and empathy? A longitudinal study of Czech adolescents to differentiate within- and between-person effects

Ist Teil von

• Computers in human behavior, 2024-10, Vol.159, Article 108341

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The associations between exposure to violent video games (VVG) and aggression/empathy have been extensively studied. VVG are often depicted as triggers for increased aggression and decreased empathy in line with the General Aggression Model. However, longitudinal evidence that distinguishes within- and between-person effects and focuses on various dimensions of aggression/empathy remains scarce. Drawing on representative sample of 3010 Czech adolescents (aged 13–17), data were collected over four waves to measure physical and verbal aggression, and cognitive and affective empathy. VVG was evaluated based on open-ended responses. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was employed to differentiate within- and between-person associations. VVG positively correlated with cognitive empathy, verbal aggression, and physical aggression at the between-person level. At the within-person level, two hypotheses were examined: the selection effect (effects of changes in aggression/empathy on changes in VVG) and the desensitization effect (effects of changes in VVG on alterations in aggression/empathy). All desensitization effects were statistically insignificant. Regarding selection effects, an increase in affective empathy was linked to a decrease in VVG. Conversely, an increase in physical aggression was associated with an increase in VVG, both positively and negatively, depending on the wave of data collection. Furthermore, the moderation effects of age and gender were tested at the within-person level. The positive (but not negative) effect of physical aggression on exposure to VVG was moderated by age, with a stronger effect evident among younger participants. These findings challenge the portrayal of VVG as a significant contributor to heightened aggression and decreased empathy in adolescents. •Verbal and physical aggression and affective empathy were positively associated with VVG at the between-person level.•At the within-person level, no evidence was found for the desensitization effect of VVG on empathy and aggression.•At the within-person level, few associations for the selection effect of empathy/aggression on VGG were found.•Increases in affective empathy correlated with decreased VVG. Changes in physical aggression showed bidirectional effects.•The study emphasizes distinguishing within- and between-person effects in longitudinal research on VVG's causal effects.