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Press Release
Violent media numb viewers to the pain of others


Thanks to University of Michigan for this article.

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Comments
Pfft

Guest Comment
Fri, Feb 20, 2009, 6:15 am CST
Nice methodology, hanging about outside a cinema dropping crutches and staging mock fights, maybe the group exposed to violence are better at recognising bad acting?

Brian Krueger, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center
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Fri, Feb 20, 2009, 9:49 am CST
It'd be much nicer if they had video footage of the "altercations." At this point your comment is pure speculation. I don't think it's too far out of the realm of possibility that viewing violence changes your perception of it.
guest666

Guest Comment
Fri, Feb 20, 2009, 11:46 am CST
How can you conclude that moviegoers or violent video game players are more numb to the pain and suffering of others by this study?

You'd first need someone that is in pain and suffering for this study to logically make sense.

All these studies are using people that are faking their pain and suffering.

You could and should conclude by the same results that violent movie goers and violent video game players take more time to respond to staged incidents of faked pain and suffering.
AliasUndercover

Guest Comment
Sat, Feb 21, 2009, 9:43 am CST
I don't think this one is going to be repeatable...

Brian Krueger, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center
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Sat, Feb 21, 2009, 11:21 am CST
I'd like to see how you'd swing actual pain and suffering incidents by an IRB. Maybe a better study would be to make these people watch "staged" fights that look real and actual fights ala YouTube and see what their response is to guage their ability to determine "real" from "fake." Personally, I think if you have the right actors doing the fight, it could appear very real. I'm not talking WWE crap here.
Snarfle

Guest Comment
Sat, Feb 21, 2009, 11:29 pm CST
I don't need a study to see this. I see it everyday in high school. I talk to my friends and the ones who love the violent games/movies, while not violent people themselves, show a great deal of apathy towards kids being teased in school or victims of school fights. My friend M, who loves action movies and shoot-em-up games, usually thinks its funny to talk about other people being hurt physically/emotionally. On the opposite end, my friends whose parents forbid them from playing violent games or watching anything over a PG-13 rating tend to feel more sympathy. I've seen my friend R go up to people who look upset or hurt and ask what it wrong. I realize there is the chance that these are singlized incidents, but that's just my experience with it.
Derek Price

Guest Comment
Mon, Mar 16, 2009, 10:50 am CDT
I am an anomly amung people then. I play violent video games and i'm not violent. I am not numb to other people pain either. I am helping one of my friends with his problems
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