Neuromodulation can reduce aggressive behavior elicited by violent video games

Abstract

Research has shown that exposure to violent media increases aggression. However, the neural underpinnings of violent-media-related aggression are poorly understood.Additionally, few experiments have tested hypotheses concerning how to reduce violent-media-related aggression. In this experiment, we focused on a brain area involved in the regulation of aggressive impulses-the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC). We tested the hypothesis that brain polarization through anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over rVLPFC reduces aggression related to violent video games. Participants (N = 79) were randomly assigned to play a violent or a nonviolent video game while receiving anodal or sham stimulation. Afterward, participants aggressed against an ostensible partner using the Taylor aggression paradigm (Taylor Journal of Personality, 35, 297-310, 1967), which measures both unprovoked and provoked aggression. Among those who received sham stimulation, unprovoked aggression was significantly higher for violent-game players than for nonviolent-game players. Among those who received anodal stimulation, unprovoked aggression did not differ for violent-and nonviolent-game players. Thus, anodal stimulation reduced unprovoked aggression in violent-game players. No significant effects were found for provoked aggression, suggesting tit-for-tat responding. This experiment sheds light on one possible neural underpinning of violent-media-related aggression-the rVLPFC, a brain area involved in regulating negative feelings and aggressive impulses.Keywords Violent video games . Aggression . Self-control . Taylor aggression paradigm (TAP) . Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) When I was running Atari, violence against humanoid figures was not allowed. We'd let you shoot at a tank . . . but we drew the line at shooting at people, with blood splattering everywhere.-Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari Nolan Bushnell, one of the founding fathers of the video game industry, Bdrew the line^at shooting at people. However, other video game developers have crossed over that line. In many violent video games today, players can kill realistic human-like characters using a wide variety of weapons. Playing violent video games is not just Bharmless fun,^either. Numerous studies have shown that violent video games can increase aggression (Anderson et al., 2010;Greitemeyer & Mügge, 2014). A recent report from the American Psychological Association (2015) concluded, BThe research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior.Ĥ owever, little is known about the neural mechanisms involved in the link between exposure to violent media and aggression. One possible mechanism is the prefrontal cortex, which regulates executive functions such as self-control (Carnagey, Anderson, & Bartholow, 2007). In particular, the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) has been implicated in various forms of self-control, including motor control (Chikazoe et al., 20...

The lone gamer: Social exclusion predicts violent video game preferences and fuels aggressive inclinations in adolescent players

“…Both these games have been successfully used in previous studies (Gabbiadini et al, , ; Riva et al, ). In both the violent and the nonviolent video game conditions, participants first practiced by playing for 5 min.…”

The effects of violent video games and shyness on individuals’ aggressive behaviors

“…Therefore, priming effects should only play a role in very close temporal proximity to gameplay, and it is, therefore, difficult to observe the effects of VVGs on individuals’ aggressive behaviors over a longer period of time (e.g., >15 min). The repeated short‐term effects of VVGs could, therefore, elicit long‐term effects by developing aggressive knowledge structures (Allen et al, ; Anderson & Bushman, ; Calvert et al, ; Riva et al, ). These long‐term effects should occur over a long period of time due to the small effect size of VVGs.…”

Inverse effects of tDCS over the left versus right DLPC on emotional processing: A pupillometry study

“…For instance, the VLPFC is also implicated in emotional processing, and is located near the DLPFC [5]. Furthermore, research has shown that anodal tDCS over the VLPFC affects emotional processing and emotional reactivity [74][75][76][77]. Therefore, some caution is warranted for the specificity of the DLPFC stimulation in the current study.…”