The effects of personality traits and playing video games on aggressive thoughts and behaviors [electronic resource] /

by Cicchirillo, Vincent.

The Effects of Personality Traits and Playing Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors Vincent Cicchirillo This study examined the effects of individuals’ trait hostility and affective orientation in conjunction with their playing a video game upon aggressive thoughts, negative evaluations, and hostile behaviors. College students’ trait hostility and affective orientation were measured along with their video game usage. Approximately two weeks later 64 of these students came into a laboratory and played one of two video games that differed in their violent content. Students were left alone for 10 minutes to play the video game after which they completed a word completion task, an interaction skills grading form, and evaluations of the researcher’s competence, courteousness, and deservingness of financial support. Participants were also observed to see if they made physical contact with a plastic bobo doll. The results partially supported two of the three hypotheses. Participants in the violent video game condition rated the researcher as less deserving of financial support than did participants in the nonviolent video game condition. Also, affective orientation and the video game condition interacted to predict evaluations of interaction skills and deservingness of financial support. iii