The Effects Of Attribution Of Blame In The Violent Video Games On Cooperation And Aggressive Behavior

Network game has spilled over into every aspect of our life, became the significant entertainment media, behind the network music and network video. However, the problem of network game is widespread violence, the negative influence of violent video game on teenagers has attracted the psychologists’ interests. In recent years, the moral disengagement cues in the violent video games have caused scholars’ extensive attention, which as a kind of widespread game factors. So far, the researches of the effect of moral disengagement cues on players are still in the initial stage. There are two shortcomings. Firstly, the literature about moral disengagement cues is insufficient. Secondly, most literature focus on the impacts of moral disengagement cues on players’ emotion, and there is no concern about the impacts of moral disengagement cues on players’ behavior. On the basis of the General Aggressive Model and the Moral Disengagement Theory, the present study explored the effects of moral disengagement cues on cooperation and aggressive behavior, the moderation of players’ experience, and the mechanism behind the effects.This study examined one of the moral disengagement cues, which named attribution of blame. In the study, participants were divided into two groups by using questionnaire about experience of video games, which named low experienced players and high experienced players. In addition, this study adopted aggression questionnaire, differential emotions scale, state hostility scale, public goods dilemma situation, competitive reaction time game to measure trait aggression, guilt, hostility, cooperation and aggressive behavior. The effects of moral disengagement cues on cooperation and aggressive behavior, the moderation of players’ experience, and the mechanism behind the effects were explored by four studies. The main conclusions in this research could be drawn as follows:(1) Attribution of blame in violent video games had a significant impact on players’ aggressive behavior, moderating by players’ experience. Compared with passive defense conditions, the active attack conditions could increase low experienced players’ aggressive behavior. While high experienced players’ aggressive behavior could not affect by the attribution of blame. In addition, guilt was the mediation between the the attribution of blame with aggressive behavior. There existed the mediated moderation models. However, hostility was not the mediation between the the attribution of blame with aggressive behavior.(2) Attribution of blame in violent video games had a significant impact on players’ cooperation, moderating by players’ experience. Compared with passive defense conditions, the active attack conditions could reduce low experienced players’ cooperation. While high experienced players’ cooperation could not affect by the attribution of blame. In addition, guilt was the mediation between the the attribution of blame with cooperation. There existed the mediated moderation models. However, hostility was not the mediation between the the attribution of blame with cooperation.