Seven-year-olds' aggressive choices in a computer game can be predicted in infancy

Hay, Dale F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2505-0453, Johansen, Mark K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6429-1976, Daly, Peter, Hashmi, Salim, Robinson, Charlotte, Collishaw, Stephan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4296-820X and van Goozen, Stephanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5983-4734 2018. Seven-year-olds' aggressive choices in a computer game can be predicted in infancy. Developmental Science 21 (3) , e12576. 10.1111/desc.12576

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Abstract

Concerns about the relationship between computer games and children's aggression have been expressed for decades, but it is not yet clear whether the content of such games evokes aggression or a prior history of aggression promotes children's interest in aggressive games. Two hundred and sixty-six 7-year-old children from a nationally representative longitudinal sample in the UK played a novel computer game (CAMGAME) in which the child's avatar encountered a series of social challenges that might evoke aggressive, prosocial or neutral behaviour. Aggressive choices during the game were predicted by well-known risk factors for aggressive conduct problems and the children's own early angry aggressiveness as infants. These findings suggest that children who are predisposed to aggression bring those tendencies to virtual as well as real environments.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Medicine MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Additional Information:	This article was (co-)authored by Cardiff NDAU researchers. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1363-755X
Funders:	Medical Research Council
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 July 2017
Date of Acceptance:	25 March 2017
Last Modified:	20 Sep 2023 21:09
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/102894

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