The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting |
| Violent games don't make children less helpful: study Posted: Violent videogames have been the subject of a slew of psychological studies in recent years, with scientists trying to identify just how all that animated gore might affect the human psyche – but results have been mixed. Now a new study probes whether or not violent games make people less caring or willing to help others. While prior research has shown that violent games can lead to more aggressive, less thoughtful behaviour, a new Australian study failed to replicate those results, Time magazine reports. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia recruited 64 university students to play one of four different games for 20 minutes. Two of the games, Grand Theft Auto and Call Of Duty: Black Ops, were violent, while the other two, World Of Zoo and Portal 2, were not. After playing the games, the subjects then filled out questionnaires about their experience with the game. But when the researchers pretended to drop their pens when leaving the room, both groups of gamers were just as likely to help them pick up the pens. "This suggests that the effect of violent videogames on behaviour might be small and that public concern ought to be minimal," Morgan Tear, a PhD student at the university, told Time. Still other contextual factors are at play, such as whether or not the researcher was smiling, so the research doesn't draw conclusive evidence to an issue that is becoming more and more political, Time reported. What parents need to look out for is excessive gaming that begins to substitute for friendships and family time. "The real question (is) whether videogames have a uniquely negative effect on those individuals compared to the many other activities and scenarios that they would routinely encounter in their daily lives," Tear says. "I suspect that videogames would be one of many possible things that could affect those particularly vulnerable people but we would need good evidence to conclude that videogames are any more harmful than other activities, such as playing basketball or chess." The study was published last week in the journal PLOS One. - AFP Relaxnews |
| Old-school games may boost self-esteem in children Posted: Old-fashioned playground games, such as hopscotch and hide-and-seek, may help boost a child's self-esteem, a psychologist claims. ONE way children can boost their self-esteem is by playing a good old-fashioned game of hopscotch or hide-and-seek, a psychologist has said. "Youngsters who are active and having fun are more likely to develop a positive outlook on physical activity," Dr Linda Papadopoulos said at the launch of the Make Time 2 Play campaign, organised by the British Toy & Hobby Association, the Daily Mail reports. She said that playing old-school outdoor games such as tag and hopscotch can help give children confidence in their bodies, while reducing anxieties about the way they look. Papadopoulos cited recent studies that found that a quarter of seven-year-old girls have tried to lose weight at least once and that one third of young boys between eight and 12 years old are dieting to lose weight, the report said. "For those that shy away from sport there are lots of other activities that can get children active without engaging in traditional team sports," she said. "Building a den, going on a nature trail or treasure hunt or even just playing tag can be great starter activities to get children active. The key thing is to keep it fun." – AFP Relaxnews |
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