Effects of violent and non-violent computer game content on memory performance in adolescents |
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Authors: | Asja Maass Kirsten Kollhörster Annemarie Riediger Vanessa MacDonald Arnold Lohaus |
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Institution: | 1.University of Bielefeld,Bielefeld,Germany;2.Department of Psychology,University of Bielefeld,Bielefeld,Germany |
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Abstract: | The present study focuses on the short-term effects of electronic entertainment media on memory and learning processes. It
compares the effects of violent versus non-violent computer game content in a condition of playing and in another condition
of watching the same game. The participants consisted of 83 female and 94 male adolescents with a mean age of 17.6 years.
The dependent variables are memory for previously learnt verbal and visual material, memory for media-related content and
physiological measures of stress (heart rate, cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase). Besides the group comparisons, potential
mediation effects and gender differences were examined. The results show that violent content leads to a poorer memory performance
for verbal material and to an increased heart rate. The heart rate, however, does not mediate the effect on memory performance.
Genders differ regarding their abilities to memorise verbal and visual material, with females showing a better performance
(independent of the experimental condition), and for memorising media-contents, where the males outperform females (also independent
of experimental condition). The study supports the assumption that violent and arousing media content has a negative short-term
effect on simultaneous information processing and learning and that there are gender-specific media effects. |
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