Decreased prefrontal activity during a cognitive inhibition task following violent video game play
A multi-week randomized trial
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13043883 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tom A Hummer (0000-0003-1635-5116, University School, corresponding author), William G Kronenberger (0000-0001-8543-9941, Indiana University), Yang Wang (0009-0007-0551-9820, Medical College of Wisconsin), Vincent P Mathews (0000-0002-1892-1735, Medical College of Wisconsin) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 63-75 |
| Publication date | 2017-05-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychology of Popular Media Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2160-4134 • E-ISSN: 2160-4142 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/ppm0000141 |
| OpenAlex | W2613882648 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 30 |
There is substantial evidence that exposure to violent media increases aggressive thoughts and behaviors, potentially due in part to alterations to inhibitory mechanisms mediated by prefrontal cortex. Past research has demonstrated that playing a violent video game for short periods decreases subsequent prefrontal activity during inhibition, yet the impact of long-term game play is unclear. To assess how extensive video game play impacts brain activity, young adult males (n = 49; ages 18–29) with limited video game experience performed a go/no-go task during fMRI for 3 consecutive weeks. Following a baseline scan, these men were randomly assigned to extensively play a violent video game (VG) or avoid all video game play (control) during the subsequent week. After 1 week, inhibition-related activity decreased in right inferior frontal gyrus and right cerebellum in the VG group, compared to the control sample, and self-reported executive functioning problems were higher. VG participants assigned to a second week of game play had similarly reduced bilateral prefrontal activity during inhibition, relative to the control group. However, VG participants assigned to avoid game play or play a cognitive training game during the second week demonstrated similar overall changes from baseline as the control group. This research provides preliminary evidence indicating how long-term video game play may impact brain function during inhibition, which may impair control of aggressive behavior
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Multimedia · Randomized controlled trial · Task (project management · Video game · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Cognitive Abilities and Testing · Computer Science · Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · Internal Medicine
Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior
Shooting Your Accuracy in the Foot? Examining the Short-Term Effect of Playing an Action or Strategy Video Game on Cognitive Control
Adolescent aggression and violent video games
Why do habitual violent video game players believe in the cathartic effects of violent video games? A misinterpretation of mood improvement as a reduction in aggressive feelings
Media Violence and the General Aggression Model
Video Games Do Affect Social Outcomes
The cognitive control of emotion
Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior
Children's Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development
Executive functions and self-regulation
In vivo evidence for post-adolescent brain maturation in frontal and striatal regions
Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations
Action video game modifies visual selective attention
The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control
The Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Prosocial Behaviors
The role of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executive attention, and general fluid intelligence
The Influence of Media Violence on Youth
Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory
The Pittsburgh sleep quality index
Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in Eastern and Western countries
Video game playing, attention problems, and impulsiveness
Exposure to violent video games and aggression in German adolescents
Media violence exposure in aggressive and control adolescents
The role of attention problems and impulsiveness in media violence effects on aggression
A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents
Longitudinal relations between children's exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood
This is your brain on violent video games
Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior
Chronic violent video game exposure and desensitization to violence
Does television violence cause aggression
The Unity and Diversity of Executive Functions and Their Contributions to Complex “Frontal Lobe” Tasks
Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior
Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life
Measuring Youth Media Exposure
The effects of violent video games on aggression. A meta-analysis
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,63 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2022 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |