Video game usage and aggressive behavior

Video game production is a multibillion-dollar industry that expands exponentially as greater numbers of children and adolescents play video games on a regular basis. According to marketing data, the vast majority of the games played in the United States contain violent themes and imagery. This is troubling to parents and to government officials, who believe that violent play could be a precursor to violent behavior. Advocates for the gaming industry disagree, and feel that any increases in violence are due to some other factor. A group of researchers decide to conduct two studies to learn more about the relationship between video games and violence.

Study A uses data from approximately 500 children and adolescents in the United States who report playing games on a regular basis. The participants provide information about how much time they spend per day playing video games, and take part in a behavioral assessment test for aggression. Higher scores on the aggression test indicate potential problems with violence. Study B is identical to Study A, except that it examines data from approximately $2,000$‍ children and adolescents in China. The results from study A and B are in the form of correlations, between time spent per day and higher scores on the aggression test. These can be found in Table $1$‍.

Table $1$‍

*Significant at p<$.05$‍

The same group of researchers discovers that gamers engage in more intense gameplay if their characters are placed on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. Which of the following is an example of the aforementioned schedule in the context of earning points?