Video Games and Violence, Week 2

I was disappointed when i didnt turn into the Incredible Hulk after i played a very violent video game, Halo. Tanks, guns, rocket launchers, the goal of the game is for you to mutilate your opponent. Again, another violent video game that ironically had no effect on me. After re-reviewing the American Psychological Associations website, and artice on video games and violence, I came across myth, and fact # two.

#2 "The studies that find significant effects are the weakest methodologically.
Facts: Methodologically stronger studies have yielded the largest effects (Anderson, in press). Thus, earlier effect size estimates -based on all video game studies- probably underestimate the actual effect sizes."

-Basically, the myth is that the most significant outcomes, or the most significant results are discovered when people have been tested using the weakest methods or procedures. Why would a doctor or someone who is geuinely researching this topic want to use weak procedures? Of course it is a myth because you would need to use significant methods in order to produce the proper outcome.


The fact produced by the APA, is that "methodologically stronger studies have yielded the largest effects". Basically rather than the weakest methods producing the most effects, the best methods produced the most effects, and probably the most relevant. I rememeber watching a video on video games and violence in one of my early Comm classes. They showed different tests that were performed on the videos to people being monitiored as they played video games. There were different age limits that were being tested as well as different games being played...the more violent the better. The "guinea pigs" were hooked up to different monitors including heart rate and blood pressure in order for the doctors to record any spikes or changed in these areas, as the games grew more intense. From personal experience, I dont really remember my bp or hr spiking when I played video games :p. Regardless, I feel that this type of testing is extremely thurough and would be considered methodologically strong.