Prosocial Video Game Content, Empathy and Cognitive Ability in a Large Sample of Youth.

Whether playing video games with prosocial content has an influence on empathy among players remains contentious in the research literature. Some evidence suggests playing cooperatively with other gamers enhances empathy, but data have not conclusively linked prosocial content with empathy. Further,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Youth & Adolescence Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 62 - 74
Main Authors: Garcia, Sarah, Ferguson, Christopher J., John Wang, C. K.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jan2022
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=154502241&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 154502241
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00472891
        JYA
      jtl: Journal of Youth & Adolescence
      issn: 00472891
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jan2022
      vid: 51
      iid: 1
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        154502241
        10.1007/s10964-021-01512-1
      ppf: 62
      ppct: 12
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 579KB
      tig:
        atl: Prosocial Video Game Content, Empathy and Cognitive Ability in a Large Sample of Youth.
      aug:
        au:
          Garcia, Sarah
          Ferguson, Christopher J.
          John Wang, C. K.
        affil:
          Stetson University, Deland, USA
          Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
      su:
        Singapore
        Prosocial behavior
        Video games
        Youth psychology
        Empathy
        Cognitive ability
        Human behavior
        Executive function
        Cooperativeness
        Mental depression
        Anxiety
        Social skills
        Video gamers
        Reasoning
        Cognitive testing
        Longitudinal method
      sug:
        subj:
          Prosocial behavior
          Video games
          Youth psychology
          Empathy
          Cognitive ability
          Human behavior
          Executive function
          Cooperativeness
          Mental depression
          Anxiety
          Social skills
          Singapore
          Home entertainment equipment merchant wholesalers
          Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing
          Video game publishers
          Video game design and development services
          Video gamers
          Reasoning
          Cognitive testing
          Longitudinal method
      keyword:
        Adolescence
        Adolescence
      ab: Whether playing video games with prosocial content has an influence on empathy among players remains contentious in the research literature. Some evidence suggests playing cooperatively with other gamers enhances empathy, but data have not conclusively linked prosocial content with empathy. Further, mechanisms of this potential relationship are unclear, and little work has been conducted on how cognitive skills, such as fluid reasoning, may mediate this relationship. The current study examines these relationships with a large sample of 3034 youth (27.2% female, Mage = 11.2; range 8–17 at time 1) in Singapore. Data were considered longitudinally across two years in three waves. Ultimately, no evidence emerged that prosocial content in video games had any impact on empathy related outcomes, nor was fluid reasoning a mediator variable for any relationship. However, variables such as social competence and depression and anxiety symptoms were highly related to empathy measures. This evidence adds to the growing debate in the field that video games may not dramatically alter, whether positively or negatively, the development of emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N