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“It Doesn’t Affect Me!” – Do Immunity Beliefs Prevent Subsequent Aggression After Playing a Violent Video Game?
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Description: We identified participants in the United States (N = 302) who believed that they are vulnerable to becoming more aggressive after playing a violent video game (a vulnerability belief) and those who believed that playing violent video games will not make them more aggressive (an immunity belief). Participants played either a violent or a nonviolent video game and then competed with a fictional opponent in a competitive reaction time task. Results revealed that those with an immunity belief did not behave more aggressively after playing a violent video game. Unexpectedly, those with a vulnerability belief behaved less aggressively after playing a violent video game. We discuss implications for future research and media literacy education.