Inside the gamer's mind: How violent video games and emotional dysregulation affect EEG interbrain synchronization

IF 4.9 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL

Computers in human behavior reports Pub Date : 2024-10-19 DOI:10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100509

Giorgio Veneziani , Federica Luciani , Marcello Miceli , Sara Spallaccini , Federica Galli , Lina Pezzuti , Carlo Lai

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Exposure to violent video games influences players’ cortical activations. In addition, intra-individual variables like emotional regulation play an important role in the consequences of such exposures. However, most research has studied these relationships at the intra-individual level. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of violent video games on the interbrain synchronization (IBS) of dyads in which one member played video games, and evaluated IBS differences between high and low-emotionally dysregulated groups.

Methods

Eighteen participants (M = 24.1 ± 2.1) were enrolled in this study. Participants gazed into another person's eyes before playing (“First Direct Gaze”), after playing a violent video game (“Post-VV”), and after playing a nonviolent video game (“Post-NVV”) during an electroencephalographic hyperscanning acquisition. Afterward, each participant completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

Results

A cluster-based analysis revealed an increased theta IBS Post-VV compared to Post-NVV. A median split was used to define the high emotionally dysregulated (“HED”) and low emotionally dysregulated (“LED”) groups. Results showed a decreased alpha IBS in the First Direct Gaze, Post-VV, and Post-NVV in the HED group compared to the LED group.

Conclusions

Exposure to violent video games was associated with higher theta IBS, suggesting a greater social attunement, potentially due to a higher perceived dominance and control or due to an effort of managing the emotional activations elicited. In addition, difficulties in emotional regulation could elicit specific alpha activities regardless of exposure to a video game, leading to a lower tendency to attune with another person on this band.

Results from this study should not be generalized to infer that playing any type of video game causes harm to people's brains.

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游戏玩家的内心世界：暴力电子游戏和情绪失调如何影响脑电图的脑间同步

背景接触暴力视频游戏会影响玩家的大脑皮层激活。此外，个体内部变量（如情绪调节）在此类暴露的后果中也起着重要作用。然而，大多数研究都是从个体内部层面研究这些关系的。因此，本研究调查了暴力电子游戏对其中一人玩电子游戏的二人组脑间同步（IBS）的影响，并评估了高情绪失调组和低情绪失调组的 IBS 差异。在脑电图超扫描采集过程中，参与者分别在游戏前（"第一次直接凝视"）、游戏后（"游戏后-VV"）和游戏后（"游戏后-NVV"）凝视他人的眼睛。之后，每位受试者都填写了一份社会人口学问卷和情绪调节困难量表。结果基于聚类分析的结果显示，与 "后暴力视频游戏 "相比，"后暴力视频游戏 "的θ IBS 增加了。采用中位数分割法界定了高情绪失调组（"HED"）和低情绪失调组（"LED"）。结果显示，与 LED 组相比，HED 组在第一次直接注视、VV 后和 NVV 后的α IBS 均有所下降。结论接触暴力视频游戏与较高的θ IBS 有关，这表明社会适应性更强，这可能是由于感知到的支配力和控制力较强，也可能是由于努力管理所引起的情绪激活。此外，无论是否接触过电子游戏，情绪调节方面的困难都会引起特定的阿尔法活动，从而导致在这一波段上与他人的调和倾向降低。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Computers in human behavior reports Psychology (General)

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量