The Effects of a Manipulated Video Game Contest on Men's Mating Strategy
Open Access
Author:
Lolla, Luke Pierce
Area of Honors:
Anthropology
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
David Andrew Puts, Thesis Supervisor Timothy Michael Ryan, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
mating strategies contests aggression video games
Abstract:
Men adjust their mating strategies according to personal attributes and environmental cues. Male contests seems to play an important role in determining the optimal strategy for an individual at a given time. In the present study, male college students were presented with an apparently fair competitive task in the form of the first-person shooter video game Counter-Strike: Source. In fact, their opponent was a confederate who manipulated the game outcome. Measures are self-rated likelihood of winning physical fights against pictured males and preference for long-term and short-term relationships with pictured females. Unexpectedly, loss was found to increase self-reported likelihood of winning fights. Possible explanations are discussed.
