Video game habits: a reasoned action approach

ABSTRACT

This paper describes research done in the domain of habit as it pertains to habitual video game play. A reasoned action understanding of habit is provided to illustrate a potential research perspective.

References

1. Entertainment Software Association. (2007). Facts and research: Game player data. Retrieved from: http://www.theesa.com/facts/gamer_data.php
2. Woodcock, B. S. (July, 2006). An analysis of MMO subscription growth. Retrieved from: http://www.MMOchart.com/
3. Yee, N. (2006). The Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively-Multiuser Online Graphical Environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15, 309--329.
4. Yee, N. (2004). Addiction. The Daedalus Project: The psychology of MMORPGs. Retrieved from: http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/000818.php
5. Miller II, S. A. (2002, March 31). Death of a game addict: Ill Hudson man took own life after long hours on Web. Retrieved from: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=31536
6. Xinhuanet (2005, November 1). Death of net game addict alert others. Retrieved from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-11/01/content_3714003.htm
7. Verplanken, B., & Aarts, H. (1999). Habit, attitude, and planned behaviour: Is habit an empty construct or an interesting case of goal-directed automaticity? European Review of Social Psychology, 29, 591--604.
8. Triandis, H. C. (1979). Values, attitudes and interpersonal behavior. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 27, 195--259.
9. Landman, J. & Manis, M. (1983). Social cognition: Some historical and theoretical perspectives. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 16, pp. 49--123). New York: Academic Press.
10. Anderson, C. A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J. D., Linz, D., Malamuth, N. M., & Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4 (3), 81--110.
11. Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1984). Social cognition. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
12. Heatherton, T. F., & Nichols, P. A. (1994). Personal accounts of successful versus failed attempts at life change. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 664--675.
13. Ouellette, J. A., & Wood, W. (1998). Habit and intention in everyday life: The multiple processes by which past behavior predicts future behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 124 (1), 54--74.
14. Verplanken, B., & Wood, W. (2006). Interventions to break and create consumer habits. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 25 (1), 90--103.
15. Wood, W., Tam, L., & Witt, M. G. (2005). Changing circumstances, disrupting habits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88 (6), 918--933.
16. Heatherton, T. F., & Nichols, P. A. (1994). Personal accounts of successful versus failed attempts at life change. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 664--675.
17. Crawley, A. M., Anderson, D. R., Santomero, A., Wilder, A., Williams, M., Evans, M. K., & Bryant, J. (2002). Do children learn how to watch television? The impact of extensive experience with Blue's Clues on preschool children's television viewing behavior. Journal of Communication, 52 (2), 264--280.
18. Bargh, J. A. (1989). Conditional automaticity: Varieties of automatic influence on social perception and cognition. In J. S. Uleman & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), Unintended Thought (pp. 3--51). New York: Guilford Press.
19. Aarts, H., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2000). Habits as knowledge structures: Automaticity in goal-directed behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78 (1), 53--63.
20. Verplanken, B., & Faes, S. (1999). Good intentions, bad habits and effects of forming implementation intentions on healthy eating. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 591--604.
21. Bargh, J. A. (1990). Auto-motives: Preconscious determinants of social interaction. In R. M. Sorrentino & E. T. Higgins (Eds.) Handbook of motivation and cognition (pp. 93--130). New York: Guilford Press.
22. Bargh, J. A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (1994). Environmental control of goal-directed action: Automatic and strategic contingencies between situations and behavior. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 41, 71--124.
23. Bargh, J. A., & Pietromonaco, P. (1982). Automatic information processing and social perception: The influence of trait information presented outside of conscious awareness on impression formation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 437--449.
24. Verplanken, B., & Faes, S. (1999). Good intentions, bad habits and effects of forming implementation intentions on healthy eating. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 591--604.
25. Bargh, J. A., Gollwitzer, P. M., Chai, A., Barndollar, K., & Troschel, R. (2001). The automated will: Nonconscious activation and pursuit of behavioral goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81 (6), 1014--1027.
26. LaRose, R., Lai, Y.-J., Lange, R., Love, B., and Wu, Y. (2005). Sharing or piracy? An exploration of downloading behavior. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11 (1). Retrieved from: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/larose.html
27. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50 (2), 179--211.
28. LaRose, R., Lin, C. A., & Eastin, M. S. (2003). Unregulated Internet usage: Addiction, habit or deficient self-regulation? Media Psychology, 5, 225--253.
29. Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 248--287.
30. Verplanken, B., & Orbell, S. (2003). Reflections on past behavior: A self-report index of habit strength. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33 (6), 1313--1330.

Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Law, social and behavioral sciences