3. RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
Given the foregoing analysis, the most pressing research needs with
respect to gauging potential harms from new media appear to be:
1. to establish the degree (if any) of unconscious visual
perceptual learning of event structure relevant to social cognition in the absence of social interaction (e.g., re: internalisation of amoral structures)
2. to establish the degree to which participation in violent gaming affects violence in pretend play, with respect to emotional regulation etc. (e.g. frequency of inflicting pain on others re: development of empathising, desensitisation to violence, etc.)
3. to establish the kinds of analogies children draw from the internet and video gaming and whether these affect behaviour (e.g., altruistic behaviour, unempathic responses to suffering, “copycat” behaviour)
4. to establish whether core systems for social cognition, such as the mirror neuron system, are engaged by cartoon characters, and if so which features of cartoons are critical (e.g., presence of eyes, type of motion)
5. to establish how good younger children are at quarantining and/or inhibiting information gained via video gaming from information gained through real-world experiences