Abstract
This experiment examined the effects of violent videogames on the aggressive behaviors of 33 female university students and what moderates or mediates the effect of these violent video games. The study used a between-subjects design with three treatment conditions: (a) playing a videogame in which violence was greatly rewarded, (b) playing a videogame in which violence was less rewarded, and (c) watching a movie that was not violent. After the participants played video games or watched a video, hostile feeling, negative mood, physiology indexes, and inactivity were measured. Then, the participants had an opportunity to apply electrical current to confederates to assess their aggressive behavior. The results showed that playing violent video games increased aggressive behavior, and rewards moderated this effect. Negative mood and inactivity mediated the effect of violent video games on aggressive behaviors.
