The Effect Of Violent Video Games On Individual Empathy And Prosocial Behavior Tendency

Previous research provide abundant evidence that exposure to violent video games increases aggression-related affect and thoughts,and playing violent video games is often associated with aggressive behaviors. In contrast,research on the impact of violent video games on individual empathy and prosocial behavior tendency has been relatively sparse. At the same time,the findings of previous research on the impact of violent video games on empathy are not consistent,and we find that these different findings may result from the difference of subjects because the subject’s degree of exposure to violent video games is likely to have influence on the experimental results. Purpose:this study is divided into two parts to explore the effect of violent video games on individual empathy and prosocial behavior tendency. Methods:In study1, we adopt questionnaire with Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Violent video games contact questionnaire and Prosocial Tendencies Measure to investigate246subjects in cyber bar around university city to explore the relationship of violent video games, empathy and prosocial behavior tendency. In study2, by2×2between-subject experiment design, we adopted two types of video games (violent video game/neutral video game) as the materials, selected40subjects as the high violent games exposure group and40subjects as the low violent games exposure group from study1according to both ends of the score of Violent video games contact questionnaire, to explore the effect of violent video games on different group subject’s empathy and prosocial behavior tendency. Results:①subject’s degree of exposure to violent video games is significantly negative correlated with empathy; subject’s degree of exposure to violent video games is significantly negative correlated with prosocial behavior tendency.②Multi-regression analysis showed subject’s empathy played a partial mediating role between degree of exposure to violent video games and subject’s prosocial behavior tendency.③The empathy of subject who playing violent video game is significantly lower than the empathy of subject who playing neutral video game.④The empathy of the high violent games exposure group who playing violent video game is significantly lower than the empathy of the low violent games exposure group. Conclusions:①subject’s degree of exposure to violent video games and empathy are correlated with prosocial behavior tendency,and subject’s empathy played a partial mediating role between degree of exposure to violent video games and subject’s prosocial behavior tendency.②Compared to neutral video game, playing violent video game decreased subject’s interpersonal empathy.③Compared to the low violent games exposure group, the empathy of the high violent games exposure group who playing violent video game is significantly lower than the empathy of the low violent games exposure group.