Author Question: Presumably, watching violent video games induces desensitization to violent imagery. What does ... (Read 136 times)

frankwu · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

Presumably, watching violent video games induces desensitization to violent imagery. What does desensitization mean? How was a neuroscientific approach used to study this desensitization? What may one reasonably infer from these data?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Explain what is meant by the frustration-aggression hypothesis.

What are the two main beliefs (about frustration and about aggression) that characterize the hypothesis? Furthermore, what does more modern research say about these two conceptual building blocks of the hypothesis? That is, in what ways are they either not true, or are more complex than once thought?

ndhahbi · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Desensitization means people don't find violence in media, or even actual violence, as disturbing as they would otherwise find it. Participants were chosen who had a history of playing either violent or nonviolent video games. They viewed either violent or nonviolent photographs while P300 event-related potentials were recorded. Smaller P300 potentials indicate a less disturbed response to an image. Those who had previous histories of viewing violent material did, in fact, show smaller P300 potentials. That is, they were desensitized to the violent photographs they viewed while being recorded. This suggests that continued viewing of violent video games actually has a long-term effect on the brain. Such desensitization has been shown to predict the likelihood of aggressing against others.

Answer to Question 2

The frustration-aggression hypothesis asserts that aggression stems from the frustration of an individual, who eventually snaps when his or her tolerance is reached. The primary beliefs are that 1) all frustration eventually leads to aggression, and 2) all aggression is the product of frustration. As to the first, individuals do not respond only with aggression when frustrated, but may become depressed, or attempt to overcome the source of their frustration. Secondly, apart from the fact that frustration can, indeed, result in aggression, aggression can stem from instrumental causes, like aggression in wartime or in a boxing match.