How Long Do the Short-Term Violent Video Game Effects Last?

How long do the effects (of the initial short-term increase in aggression and physiological arousal last after violent video game play? Study 1 (N = 91) had participants complete pre- and postvideo game measures of aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, and heart rate. Then, participants completed Time 3 measures after 4 min or 9 min of delay. Study 2 employed a similar procedure, but had participants (N = 91) complete the hot sauce paradigm to assess aggressive behavior after a 0, 5, or 10 min delay. First, results indicated 0 at aggressive feelings, aggressive thoughts, aggressive behavior, and heart rate initially increased after violent video game play. Second, results of the delay condition revealed that the increase in aggressive feelings and aggressive thoughts lasted less than 4 min, whereas heart rate and aggressive behavior lasted 4-9 min. Aggr. Behav. 35:225-236, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.