Abstract
Exposure to media violence, including violent video gaming, can have a cognitive desensitization effect, lowering empathic
concern for others in need. Since emerging adulthood offers increased opportunities to volunteer, strengthen relationships,
and initiate new relationships, decreases in empathic concern and prosocial behavior may prove inhibitive to optimal development
during this time. For these reasons, the current study investigated associations between violent video gaming, empathic responding,
and prosocial behavior enacted toward strangers, friends, and family members. Participants consisted of 780 emerging adults
(M age = 19.60, SD = 1.86, range = 18–29, 69% female, 69% Caucasian) from four universities in the United States. Results showed
small to moderate effects between playing violent video gaming and lowered empathic concern for both males and females. In
addition, lowered empathic concern partially mediated the pathways between violent video gaming and prosocial behavior toward
all three targets (at the level of a trend for females), but was most strongly associated with lower prosocial behavior toward
strangers. Discussion highlights how violent video gaming is associated with lower levels of prosocial behavior through the
mechanism of decreased empathic concern, how this association can affect prosocial behavior differently across target, and
finally what implications this might have for development during emerging adulthood.
concern for others in need. Since emerging adulthood offers increased opportunities to volunteer, strengthen relationships,
and initiate new relationships, decreases in empathic concern and prosocial behavior may prove inhibitive to optimal development
during this time. For these reasons, the current study investigated associations between violent video gaming, empathic responding,
and prosocial behavior enacted toward strangers, friends, and family members. Participants consisted of 780 emerging adults
(M age = 19.60, SD = 1.86, range = 18–29, 69% female, 69% Caucasian) from four universities in the United States. Results showed
small to moderate effects between playing violent video gaming and lowered empathic concern for both males and females. In
addition, lowered empathic concern partially mediated the pathways between violent video gaming and prosocial behavior toward
all three targets (at the level of a trend for females), but was most strongly associated with lower prosocial behavior toward
strangers. Discussion highlights how violent video gaming is associated with lower levels of prosocial behavior through the
mechanism of decreased empathic concern, how this association can affect prosocial behavior differently across target, and
finally what implications this might have for development during emerging adulthood.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Empirical Research
- Pages 1-14
- DOI 10.1007/s10964-012-9742-2
- Authors
- Ashley M. Fraser, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, 2082 JFSB, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Laura M. Padilla-Walker, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Sarah M. Coyne, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Larry J. Nelson, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Laura A. Stockdale, Psychology Department, Loyola University, Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
- Journal Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Online ISSN 1573-6601
- Print ISSN 0047-2891