ABSTRACT
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Two
studies
tested
the
hypothesis
that
exposure
to
violent
media
reduces
aid
offered
to
people
in
pain
.
In
Study
1
,
participants
played
a
violent
or
nonviolent
video
game
for
20
min
.
After
game
play
,
while
completing
a
lengthy
questionnaire
,
they
heard
a
loud
fight
,
in
which
one
person
was
injured
,
outside
the
lab
.
Participants
who
played
violent
games
took
longer
to
help
the
injured
victim
,
rated
the
fight
as
less
serious
,
and
were
less
likely
to
‘‘
hear
’’
the
fight
in
comparison
to
participants
who
played
nonviolent
games
.
In
Study
2
,
violent
-
and
nonviolentmovie
attendees
witnessed
a
young
woman
with
an
injured
ankle
struggle
to
pick
up
her
crutches
outside
the
theater
either
before
or
after
the
movie
.
Participants
who
had
just
watched
a
violent
movie
took
longer
to
help
than
participants
in
the
other
three
conditions
.
The
findings
from
both
studies
suggest
that
violent
media
make
people
numb
to
the
pain
and
suffering
of
others
.