External validity concerns "whether results from experiments in one setting (time and place) will be obtained in other settings" (Maxfield and Babbie 122). One external concern is the use of a middle-class suburban neighborhood. If this study was done in an upper-class neighborhood, a rural neighborhood, an urban neighborhood, or a low-income neighborhood, the results might vary greatly. In terms of internal validity, the causality of aggressive video games for aggressive behavior might be difficult to prove given all the other stimuli that can potentially cause aggression in children (including violence in other media like music, television, and film, violent or aggressive living circumstances which may not be disclosed to the researcher, etc.).
H.
If boys are found to be adversely affected by violent games, it can not be immediately assumed that girls will respond similarly. More research would need to be conducted to determine whether there is a difference in female...
Second, for the ethical reasons mentioned, it may be destructive to expose people to violent imagery over a long period of time.
K.
The theory is that if children play violent video games, they are seeing violent imagery and becoming desensitized to it. It becomes commonplace for them to commit and witness violent acts without real world consequences, thus it becomes difficult for them to distinguish reality from the fictional violent world to which they have become accustomed.
Works Cited
Maxfield, Michael G., and Earl R. Babbie. Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2009.
