Seven-year-olds' aggressive choices in a computer game can be predicted in infancy.

ABSTRACT: Concerns about the relationship between computer games and children's aggression have been expressed for decades, but it is not yet clear whether the content of such games evokes aggression or a prior history of aggression promotes children's interest in aggressive games. Two hundred and sixty-six 7-year-old children from a nationally representative longitudinal sample in the UK played a novel computer game (CAMGAME) in which the child's avatar encountered a series of social challenges that might evoke aggressive, prosocial or neutral behaviour. Aggressive choices during the game were predicted by well-known risk factors for aggressive conduct problems and the children's own early angry aggressiveness as infants. These findings suggest that children who are predisposed to aggression bring

SUBMITTER: Hay DF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5947600 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature