Conducting tests using confederates shortly after people are exposed to violent media, scientists found such subjects less willing to engage in helping behavior to those who are suffering or injured. To establish a situation requiring help or empathy, scientists would stage an argument which turns physical, injuring a confederate, or stage a disabled woman losing her crutch and struggling to get it back. Those who played a violent video game for 20 minutes (vs. the control, a non-violent video game) were less likely to aid the injured, less likely to notice the argument, and less likely to think the incident very severe. When providing aid, the control aided the confederate in an average of 16 seconds, while the ones who played the violent video games took an average of 73 seconds. In the case of a disabled woman without her crutch, movie-goers were divided into three groups: some seeing her prior to watching a movie, some after seeing a non-violent movie, and others after seeing a violent movie. Those who saw the violent movie took 26% longer to help her. [It was important to test movie-goers prior to seeing the movie to rule out the possibility that already desensitized people simply consume more violent media.]
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