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Essay / The Hitman study: the correlation between violent videos...
In 2005, the American Psychological Association suggested that the correlation between violent video games and aggression is stronger than the correlation with television . Some notable researchers have questioned this correlation and questioned whether it is indeed true. This debate reignited after the Virginia Tech shooting, when Philip McGraw, commonly known as Dr. Phil, and Jack Thompson blamed violent video games. In 2007, the Virginia Tech Review Panel found that Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter, did not play video games at all. There are three theories that explain the link between violent exposure to video games and aggression. These are social learning theory, catharsis hypothesis, and mood management theory. Social learning theory suggests that aggression is a behavior learned through a procedure called behavioral modeling. With respect to violent video games, this suggests that an individual exposed to violent video games will develop an "aggression-related cognitive script." The catharsis hypothesis suggests that aggression is a biological and evolutionary phenomenon. ...