Failure to demonstrate that playing violent video games diminishes prosocial behavior

Background:Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc.) and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used.Methods and Findings:Experiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect.Conclusions:We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior

The Development of Prosocial Behaviour in Early Childhood: Contributions of Early Parenting and Self-Regulation

This research considers the role of parenting practices and early self-regulation, on children's prosocial behaviour when they begin school. Data for 4,007 children were drawn from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The analyses explored relations between self-reported parenting practices for mothers and fathers, using scales for parenting warmth and hostility, and parent report on children's emotional and attentional regulation at 2-3 years. Teacher reports for prosocial behaviour were obtained when children were 6-7 years. Maternal and paternal non-hostile parenting and warmth made significant, indirect contributions to later prosocial development, through influencing children's early self-regulation. These findings inform understandings about the intergenerational pathways through which children's self-regulation influences prosocial skills. Responsive caregiving by parents, and by adults in early childhood education programs, supports the development of early self-regulation. This, in turn, enables children to take greater advantage of the learning opportunities afforded to them at home and in early childhood education programs. Support for early self-regulation can offset effects of child and family risk factors on children's later development

Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes?

The classic diathesis–stress framework, which views some individuals as particularly vulnerable to adversity, informs virtually all psychiatric research on behavior–gene–environment (G × E) interaction. An alternative framework of ‘differential susceptibility’ is proposed, one which regards those most susceptible to adversity because of their genetic make up as simultaneously most likely to benefit from supportive or enriching experiences—or even just the absence of adversity. Recent G × E findings consistent with this perspective and involving monoamine oxidase-A, 5-HTTLPR (5-hydroxytryptamine-linked polymorphic region polymorphism) and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) are reviewed for illustrative purposes. Results considered suggest that putative ‘vulnerability genes’ or ‘risk alleles’ might, at times, be more appropriately conceptualized as ‘plasticity genes’, because they seem to make individuals more susceptible to environmental influences—for better and for worse