Citation

Lai C, Pellicano GR, Altavilla D, Proietti A, Lucarelli G, Massaro G, Luciani M, Aceto P. Cogn. Affect. Behav. Neurosci. 2018; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Institute of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.3758/s13415-018-00683-y

PMID

30565058

Abstract

Exposure to violence in video games has been associated with a desensitization toward violent content, a decrease of empathy, and prosocial behavior. Moreover, violent video games seem to be related to a reduction of neural activation in the circuits linked to social emotional processing. The purpose of the present study was to compare the neural response to social inclusion images after violent and nonviolent video game playing. Electroencephalographic data of the 32 participants were recorded during a visual task with three presentations (T0, T1, T2) of 60 stimuli (30 social inclusion vs. 30 neutral images). After the T0 presentation, the participants played with a video game (orientation or violent). After the T1 presentation, the participants played with the other video game (orientation or violent). The two types of video games were randomly displayed. Event-related potential (ERP) components and low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) were analyzed. The main findings showed a longer latency of the P2 component on occipito-temporal montage and a lower activation of the limbic and temporal areas in response to the social inclusion images post violent video game compared with the post orientation video game. The findings suggest a reduction of emotional engagement in social processing after playing violent video game.

Language: en

Keywords

Event-related potential; Social inclusion; Violent video game; sLoreta