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Playing games: The salience of social cues and group norms in eliciting aggressive behaviour

The rise in new communication technologies makes anonymous interactions increasingly possible, extending the possibilities for understanding the effects of anonymity on the behaviour of individuals. Theories of deindividuation and dehumanisation propose that anonymity will automatically lead to aggressive and antisocial behaviour, while the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects adds that the social environment can mediate this effect. The first phase of this study was created to test the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects prediction of the role of the social environment. A quasi-experimental design was used within the online computer gaming environment as a testing platform. The results of this phase point to the salience of competitive environments in inducing aggressive behaviour (an effect that may be heightened by large group sizes and human-player opponents). Due to the unusual nature of the results of the first phase, a follow-up study was conducted as a further exploration of the results through open discussions held on various South African gaming-related forums. A number of important themes emerged from these dialogues, specifically that of aggression in others, personal investment, stress relief, and gender. Overall, the results of both phases of this study offer support for the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects model and suggestions of new avenues for future researchers to explore.