Theory of mind and video games : developing the Short Story Task-B and examining relationships between theory of mind and video game play : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

How video games may affect cognition is poorly understood. This thesis examined one overlooked area – the relationship between video game play and Theory of Mind (ToM), an individual’s ability to understand other people's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires, intentions, or emotions (Tager-Flusberg & Sullivan, 2000). Complicating the investigation of ToM in this thesis, few measures currently exist that can be used with neurotypical adults, and none have alternate forms.

Across two studies, this thesis aimed to examine whether engagement with different video game genres or social contexts was related to performance on measures of ToM in neurotypical adults. It was also determined whether the General Aggression Model (GAM) or the General Learning Model (GLM) better accounted for observed findings. Further, a new form of the Short Story Task (SST), the Short Story Task-B (SST-B), was piloted. Finally, it was also explored whether literary fiction familiarity was related to ToM ability and whether ToM tests could be substituted for single-item self-report measures.

This thesis found little support for an association between video game play and ToM, a finding which highlighted limitations in both the GAM and GLM. However, there was some support for the notion that literary fiction familiarity was associated with improved ToM. Although the studies developed an incrementally improved ToM measure, like the SST, large issues with the SST-B’s psychometric properties were detailed. Results also indicated that single-item self-report measures should not be substituted for measures of ToM. Overall, the limited support for a relationship between video game play and ToM suggests a need for media psychology theories that are broader than just the features of violence. While some support was found for relationships between literary fiction familiarity and ToM, the psychometric analyses of the SST and SST-B highlight that ToM measures likely require further refinement.