Bastian et al. (2012) Cyber Dehumanisation (Edexcel A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
Bastian et al. (2012) Cyber Dehumanisation
Cyber dehumanisation refers to the reduction in perception of humanness that can occur through digital interactions, particularly through violent video gaming. This study examines whether playing violent video games diminishes players' sense of their own humanity and their perception of others' humanity.
Theorists, title, year
Bastian, B., Jetten, J., & Radke, H. (2012) - Cyber-dehumanisation: Violent video game play diminishes our humanity
Participants
Study 1: 106 undergraduate students (74 women and 32 men, aged between 17 and 34 years)
Study 2: 38 undergraduate students (28 women and 10 men, with an average age of 20 years)
Aim
The research aimed to examine whether playing violent video games produces dehumanising effects on those who play them. Whilst previous research had documented negative effects of violent video games (such as Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Dill, Brown and Collins, 2008; Anderson et al., 2010), there had been limited investigation into whether such games could alter players' perceptions of their own humanity and that of other players. The researchers specifically sought to investigate the extent to which violent game play affected participants' perception of their own humanness as well as their perception of their co-players' humanness.
Previous studies had established various negative effects of violent gaming, but this research broke new ground by specifically examining the concept of dehumanisation - whether violent gaming makes players feel less human and view others as less human.
Procedure: Study 1
The research employed an experimental design comparing violent and non-violent video game conditions. Mortal Kombat was selected as the violent game, whilst Top Spin Tennis served as the non-violent comparison game.
Participants were randomly allocated to either the violent or non-violent condition. Each participant played their assigned two-player game for 15 minutes with a dividing wall positioned between the two players, preventing them from seeing each other or being influenced by the other player's game performance.
Following the gaming session, participants completed a questionnaire that assessed several variables:
- How enjoyable they found the game
- How exciting the experience was
- How frustrating they found it
These questions utilised a 1 to 7 Likert-type scale for responses. Participants were then asked to assess their own level of 'humanness' using a separate scale.
The dividing wall between players was a crucial methodological control, ensuring that participants' ratings of humanness were based solely on their gaming experience rather than being influenced by social interaction with the other player.
Results: Study 1
Analysis revealed that participants in both violent and non-violent conditions reported similar levels of frustration. However, Mortal Kombat was rated as more enjoyable and more exciting than the non-violent alternative.
The key findings related to perceptions of humanness:
- Mean score for self-humanity in the violent game condition: 3.74
- Mean score for self-humanity in the non-violent game condition: 4.35
- Mean score for others' humanity in the violent game condition: 4.43
- Mean score for others' humanity in the non-violent game condition: 4.93
Even when factors such as gender, enjoyment and frustration were statistically controlled for in the analysis, these findings remained statistically robust. This confirms that the differences in humanness ratings were genuinely attributable to the type of game played, not to other variables like how much participants enjoyed the game or how frustrated they felt.
The researchers concluded that playing a violent game, as opposed to a game with minimal or no violence, resulted in reduced perceptions both of an individual's own humanness and that of their opponent.
Procedure: Study 2
Whilst Study 1 established clear links between video game violence and dehumanised perceptions, several questions remained unanswered. The researchers questioned whether the reduced humanness ratings might have occurred because:
- The characters in Mortal Kombat were clearly non-human
- Simply placing a person in a conflict situation might lead to reduced perceived humanness
- Playing the game might induce negative feelings that caused participants to assess themselves more negatively
Why Study 2 was necessary:
Study 2 addressed three major limitations of Study 1 by introducing:
- Co-operative play instead of competitive play (to test if conflict itself caused dehumanisation)
- First-person shooter perspective with humanlike characters (to address the non-human character concern)
- Measures of self-esteem and mood (to rule out general negative feelings as an explanation)
Study 2 addressed these limitations through several methodological improvements. Firstly, participants played the games not as opponents but as co-players working collaboratively. Secondly, measures of self-esteem and mood were incorporated into the assessment system. Finally, participants played Call of Duty 2, a violent first-person shooter game where the player experiences the action through the eyes of the character, with computer characters that appear more humanlike.
Participants (38 undergraduates: 28 women, 10 men with an average age of 20) were randomly assigned to either the Call of Duty 2 condition or the Top Spin Tennis condition. They played for 20 minutes as co-players rather than opponents. Following gameplay, they were asked how frustrating, enjoyable and exciting they found the game. They then rated themselves and the other person on the same measure of humanness used in Study 1, with specific focus on their own experience of the video game and their view of the other person.
Results: Study 2
Study 2 demonstrated that playing a violent game reduced a person's self-reported perception of their own humanness when playing both first-person shooter games and when acting collaboratively rather than competitively against a co-player.
The research further illustrated that engaging in violent games does not necessarily lead players to feel negative about themselves or to see themselves more negatively. Rather, the simple act of playing a violent game affects how 'human' individuals feel.
Critical finding: Playing a violent game does not affect perception of the humanness of others when that person is a co-perpetrator rather than an opponent. This suggests that the dehumanisation of others depends on the relationship between players - opponents are dehumanised more than co-players.
The study indicated that multiple variables need accounting for in understanding the complex effect of video games and dehumanisation, suggesting that future research should continue to investigate this area.
Conclusion
The researchers drew several key conclusions from their two studies:
Key Findings:
(A) Self-dehumanisation through violent gameplay: People perceive themselves as less human when engaged in violent game play compared to equally competitive non-violent game play. This effect is particularly evident when the opponent is a co-player or even a computer-generated character rather than when playing against a distant opponent.
(B) Dehumanisation of co-players in violent contexts: When individuals engage in acts of violence towards other co-players, their perception of these co-players' humanness is also affected, more so than when the co-player is an opponent in non-violent game play.
The Bastian et al. study contributes further evidence to existing research on dehumanisation. As people increasingly spend extended periods playing online games, the likelihood and possibility of such experiences dehumanising players increases. This suggests that repeated exposure to such dehumanising experiences might result in more permanent changes in self-perception and perception of others.
Evaluation: Strengths
Real-world application: The research possesses clear real-world relevance. Computer gaming is extremely popular, and with computer animation becoming increasingly realistic and gaming consoles becoming more affordable, questions must be addressed about gaming's effect on behaviour. This research contributes to the widely held and debated discussion on the effects of violent computer games, particularly the effects that prolonged exposure can have on audiences, especially children. Studies like this have led to and helped justify the implementation of age certification systems for games.
The practical implications of this research extend beyond academic interest - findings like these inform policy decisions about game age ratings and contribute to public discourse about gaming's psychological effects.
Concurrent with previous research: The findings align with previous research in the video game effect area. Studies conducted by notable authorities such as Anderson and Bushman (2001), Anderson, Gentile and Buckley (2007), and Anderson and Bushman (2007) all demonstrate negative impacts and effects on behaviour through video gaming. This concordance adds to the academic credibility of Bastian et al.'s work and his unique examination of dehumanisation in this process, an aspect not previously examined in depth.
Ethical appropriateness: The study was conducted ethically on multiple grounds. Individuals were fully informed in their decisions to participate, the study itself involved limited deception (if any), and the research team demonstrated their competence as researchers throughout. The research therefore ensures that the moral standards expected in psychological research were maintained.
Evaluation: Weaknesses
Sampling issues and gender bias: The research demonstrates problems with generalisability due to its small and biased sample. Between the two studies, the majority of participants were women. This creates a gender bias (specifically a gynocentric result) that might produce findings not globally representative of a typical computer gaming population. The predominantly female sample limits the extent to which findings can be applied to the wider gaming community, which includes substantial numbers of male players.
Critical limitation: Study 2 particularly suffered from a small sample size with only 38 participants. This raises questions about the statistical power of the findings and whether the results would replicate with larger, more diverse samples.
Validity concerns: Questions regarding validity can be raised with Bastian's research, particularly concerning the rating scales used. Bastian himself acknowledged that participants might have been compelled to rate themselves as less human or more negatively given the context in which they were being studied. However, participants indicated that they did not suspect the research concerned a link between video game violence and dehumanisation, which provides some defence against this criticism.
Alternative explanations: A methodological concern exists regarding whether video gaming causes dehumanisation of self and others, or whether participants playing the games were themselves victims of game violence (either by another player or by a game avatar). Perhaps because they were victims, their scores of self-humanity were reduced following playing the violent games. This alternative explanation has not been adequately ruled out.
Remember!
Key Study Details:
- Playing violent video games reduces self-reported humanness scores compared to non-violent games (3.74 vs 4.35 in Study 1)
- Dehumanisation affects both perception of self and perception of others, particularly when the other person is an opponent rather than a co-player
- The effect occurs even in first-person shooter games with humanlike characters and persists when controlling for enjoyment and frustration
- Study 1 used competitive play (opponents), Study 2 used co-operative play (co-players)
- Games used: Mortal Kombat (violent), Top Spin Tennis (non-violent), Call of Duty 2 (violent, first-person shooter)
Evaluation Points:
- Strengths: Strong real-world application to gaming policy, supported by concurrent research, ethically appropriate
- Weaknesses: Gender bias (predominantly female samples), limited generalisability, small sample size in Study 2 (only 38 participants), validity concerns about rating scales
Critical Insight: Repeated exposure to violent gaming may lead to more permanent changes in how individuals perceive humanness in themselves and others