Insensitive Players? A Relationship Between Violent Video Game Exposure and Recognition of Negative Emotions

Frontiers in Psychology

Lydia C. Krabbendam¹  Ewa Miedzobrodzka²  Elly A. Konijn²  Jacek Buczny³ 

[1] Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;Sopot Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sopot, Poland;Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;

关键词: video games;    media violence;    emotion recognition;    empathy;    adults;    adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.651759

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

An ability to accurately recognize negative emotions in others can initiate pro-social behavior and prevent anti-social actions. Thus, it remains of an interest of scholars studying effects of violent video games. While exposure to such games was linked to slower emotion recognition, the evidence regarding accuracy of emotion recognition among players of violent games is weak and inconsistent. The present research investigated the relationship between violent video game exposure (VVGE) and accuracy of negative emotion recognition. We assessed the level of self-reported VVGE in hours per day and the accuracy of the recognition using the Facial Expressions Matching Test. The results, with adolescents (Study 1; N = 67) and with adults (Study 2; N = 151), showed that VVGE was negatively related to accurate recognition of negative emotion expressions, even if controlled for age, gender, and trait empathy, but no causal direction could be assessed. In line with the violent media desensitization model, our findings suggest that higher self-reported VVGE relates to lower recognition of negative emotional expressions of other people. On the one hand, such lower recognition of negative emotions may underlie inaccurate reactions in real-life social situations. On the other hand, lower sensitivity to social cues may help players to better focus on their performance in a violent game.

【 授权许可】

CC BY