Hello,

My friend is conducting a psychological research on gaming for her Master dissertation and I'm helping her by posting the research's link here. Upon completion of the survey, you will get a link to a steamgifts giveaway for Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition. Survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes.

Please read the informed consent and try to respond honestly keeping in mind that your responses are anonymous, therefore, it does not require you to provide your name or any other identifying information.

In order to participate, you need to be at least 18 years old and to consider yourself a gamer!

Survey:
https://forms.gle/r9ZzCTzXHSwyh3bc9

The giveaway will last until June 2, 2019, 11:59pm and the contributor level is 0+.

If you don't want to complete the survey maybe you would like to help us with a bump.
Thank you!

Read before you submit a new comment:

Update1:

The survey was approved by two researchers/professor also the questions used in the survey are part of scientifically validated scales that have been used in many studies before.

Update2:

This psychological research, like any other, uses the previous results of other studies to formulate some hypotheses. The aim of the research is NOT to prove a certain idea but to discover if the hypotheses, that were made by correlating different conclusions of other studies in this area of research, are valid or not.

Many assumed that the aim of the questions is to highlight that gamers are ultra violent/aggressive or antisocial, which is false.

Many find the questions leading, misleading, etc. The questions are NOT made by the student, these were validated in previous research by professional researchers who have proved psychometric properties of them. You can't change questions as you wish without affecting those psychometric properties of the instrument.

Please do not try to respond as you have guessed the purpose of the study. The study does not try to prove anything (like a certain idea that researcher has) but to explore whether or not the hypotheses(based on results of other studies) are true.

Please consider that the results of the study can confirm or refute the hypotheses or the previous studies. Therefore you should not guess the aims of the study which cannot be disclosed (at the moment).

4 years ago*

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I had a quick look at the first page of questions and didn't like how they were worded, so I didn't proceed any further.
A couple of them are vague (you can't just choose where on the scale to answer them), and a couple of them I felt were interrogative, rather than actual genuine questions.
I don't know about anyone else who ends up taking the time to fill it out, this was just my experience.

Anyway, good luck.
Unfortunately, nothing is truly anonymous online, thanks to google :)

4 years ago
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These are very leading questions, but I suppose that's a part of the underlying method of the research.

4 years ago
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+1

4 years ago
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+1
"Research" is often used as a tool to achieve ones desires (or their funding). Its often why we have conflicting research.
So is this an honest survey or is it going to be used in some small way as propaganda (or part of the foundation)?

4 years ago
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how you phrase the question significantly influences the results.
The better question is how the questions are presented when interpreting results

4 years ago
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I had the same feeling than Mayanaise. I also had some problem with the purple variants since English is not my native language. I did finish it though. Hope it helps.

4 years ago
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Someone used a synonym site for "purple".

4 years ago
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Nah, sorry, but a psychological questionary shouldn't look like you are being judged.

4 years ago
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Thats kinda hard since they are usually very personal and you'll second guess your anwsers and judge yourself.

4 years ago
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I feel a sensation of bad thoughts that I need to step back from.

4 years ago
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4 years ago
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Thank you for your answer, I understand your concern but the survey was approved by two researchers/professor also the questions used in the survey are part of scientifically validated scales that have been used in many studies before.

4 years ago
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The second point is a strong point I must say. I honestly think most won't answer entirely honestly because accusatory questions.

4 years ago
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Maybe I'm just naive, but I didn't find the questions accusatory or anything. They seemed more like a generic psychological assessment. OP says they're based on / extracted from validated scales, and that seems credible to me. Scales I know of look a bit like this: questions may look weird, but that's how the scales were made, "because reasons" ๐Ÿ‘€

4 years ago
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Yeah, I agree with you, partially... but we probably have the ability to focus on the honesty side.
Some (probably most) feel inclined to choose in a very hypocritical way when their moral is being tested.

4 years ago
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Do you mind linking to some of those previous studies?

4 years ago
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Those color questions made me learn new colors lol

View attached image.
4 years ago
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I always considered maroon to be a red colour ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

4 years ago
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Seconding Dano's third point, why is the contact a google address? Is this because of Google forms? Because using your academic email would go a long way to legitimizing the study, provided it really has been approved by your supervisor(s). Your university might also have ethics procedures that you need to follow in the case of a study that they are attached to.

4 years ago
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4 years ago
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Judging by the comments above, OP must be a member of Vault-Tec.

Not gonna take a look :X

4 years ago
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I wonder if the true psychological research project is to deliberately design a poorly-worded survey, and then examine the comments that are made about it...

4 years ago
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O_____O

4 years ago
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I am a bot and calculate within 93.14% accuracy that this project was created to identify the percentage of AI responses.

4 years ago
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Finished <3 already have Fallout 4 though but I figured I would help out.

4 years ago
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completed the survey. interesting basis for a dissertation, good luck to her!

4 years ago
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BUMP

4 years ago
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That was an interesting survey. I own the game, so I won't enter the giveaway. Thanks!

4 years ago
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As a veteran survey/quiz-taker (I've been taking everything from "Which anime character are you?" quizzes to online IQ tests to paid psychological surveys--the kind where I get paid, I mean--for well over a decade), I thought it was actually pretty standard for a survey, even if the questions were unique rather than the same copy-pasted crap I tend to see everywhere. (Thank you for that, BTW. It was refreshing.) However, just like most of those surveys, and like most of the others in this thread, I do think that some of the questions are too vague, possibly implying different conclusions about the respondent than the respondent themselves might intend. For example:

Victims generally have trouble staying out of harmโ€™s way.
I answered "mildly disagree", because to me, the statement seems to blame the victim for being a victim, which I don't...usually. (If they're a victim because they did something stupid, then...) But I'm also a snarky little ****, so I couldn't answer "strongly disagree" because I thought, "Well, yeah, otherwise they wouldn't have become a victim." It's not their fault, but if they ended up in harm's way, then obviously they couldn't stay out of it, right?

If people leave their belongings around, it is their fault if someone steals them.
I mean, if you know it's a possibility that someone will steal your stuff, it is pretty dumb not to keep an eye on it. Doesn't mean I think the thief is right, just that you shouldn't have left it unattended.

When I lose in a game or I have not obtained the desired results, I need to play again to achieve my target.
Well, yeah. Otherwise you'll never achieve your target. :P (This is more of a grammar nitpick. A better way of wording this statement would be: "I can't stop playing until I achieve my target." Or, if obsession isn't the angle this statement is going for, but commitment/perseverance, then perhaps, "I don't give up until..." or even simply, "I try again to...")

Also, on the questions on page 3, rather than definitive yes/no statements, a frequency scale (always/sometimes/never) would probably be better--because, using that last statement as an example, sometimes I try dozens of times in a row to accomplish something, sometimes I'll try a few times and walk away for a bit, and sometimes I'll try once or twice and decide it's not worth my time.

4 years ago
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+1

"If people leave their belongings around, it is their fault if someone steals them."

It's one of those badly written, ambiguous questions (and there were at least 5 of those in the survey). It could really mean 2 different things.
1) If people leave their belongings around, not taking care to safeguard them, can they blame anyone, but themselves, for loosing them?
2) If people leave their belongings around, not taking care to safeguard them, are those who steal them less blameworthy?

This makes this question practically worthless, because for many of us the answer to the first would be a strong YES, but the answer to the second would be a strong NO. And we do not really answer any question here, we answer to what we think, that the question was intended to mean.

Sorry, but those "two researchers/professor" should go back to school, before trying to teach others :(

4 years ago
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If people leave their belongings around, not taking care to safeguard them, can they blame anyone, but themselves, for loosing them?

Yes, the person who took something that clearly does not belong to them. Just because you don't safeguard something 24/7 doesn't mean you are to blame.

Seeing how anyone answering "no" to this question automatically takes blame away from the thief, which will automatically answer the second question (and vice versa), hence the question isn't ambiguous.

4 years ago*
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Being a victim is something that happens by chance, something you often don't have control over. You can obviously increase or decrease the chances, but I think we can safely assume most people don't go looking for trouble. By saying they "have trouble staying out of harm's way" it implies they repeatably get into trouble, not just by random chance. So replying with:

"Well, yeah, otherwise they wouldn't have become a victim." It's not their fault, but if they ended up in harm's way, then obviously they couldn't stay out of it, right?

Is just you trying to sound like a smart ass.

4 years ago
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I did say I was a snarky ****. :P

But, like I also said, I don't blame the victims, and I'm not saying it's their fault by any means (again, unless they do something blatantly stupid like trying to pet a lion at the zoo). Some people have to live in bad neighborhoods, or can't recognize danger signs, or just have terrible luck. All of that could mean they have trouble staying out of trouble, through no fault of their own. I mean, there was that guy who got struck by lightning seven times. I doubt he was going out looking for thunderstorms. He just happened to work outdoors and live in an area prone to lightning strikes...and had terrible luck.

I also overthink everything, which is why I had trouble answering that statement in the first place. My thought process went something like, "Of course it's not the victim's fault. Wait, but what if they have bad luck like me, but worse? Still not their fault, but it'd be true that they couldn't stay out of harm's way. But is that how I'm supposed to interpret the statement? Argh."

4 years ago
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Haha, you make a fair point, though that person is more of an exception and the question did say "generally". The survey is far from perfect but I do feel many people over analyze the questions and are overly critical about them. I think there'll always be some ambiguity to any survey.

4 years ago
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Oh, definitely! There's no way to eliminate all ambiguity without writing a novel describing exact circumstances, and it would likely defeat the purpose anyway. I'd bet part of the point of the survey is to see how people interpret the questions, which is probably why there are some that are basically the same question worded different ways.

4 years ago
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that's not entirely true. Some people act in a manner that makes them more likely to be a victim than not.
I used to live in a very rough area, and I never got robbed, while I had a friend who got robbed quite often. It wasn't just chance, a lot of it had to do with mannerisms, allertness, confidence, etc.

4 years ago
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I completed the survey. The questions were very redundant and, yes, pretty leading. I understand that that's how it's done, but it was... hm. I don't know how to put it in words. It doesn't exactly put one at ease to answer honestly. 'Are you present in the moment and do you have a healthy relationship to video games, or have you not ever been to therapy and self-examined before?' The second set of questions, about moral viewpoints on things, also weren't fun to answer. A lot of times, I agreed with the sentiment but not the reason, and then was stuck on how to actually answer. Like, YES I think Y, but not because of X, I think Y because of Z.

Best of luck to your friend's dissertation!

4 years ago
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redundant questions are actually useful in a survey for several reasons.

1) if the person answers the exact same question in completely different ways, the survey should probably be invalidated
2) on scaled responses, changing the wording slightly can give a somewhat different meaning, which could give a slightly different response. That gives more color (e.g on a 1-10 scale, a difference in wording could change a 7 to a 5, or it could change a 7 to a 9. The second answer brings the first one into focus)

4 years ago
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Considering the fact that this survey is ostensibly being used to gather data for psychological research, it would seem counter-productive to limit the field of respondents to such a narrow category as "SG users who read this post," if that is indeed what you are actually doing. I hope not.

4 years ago
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4 years ago*
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this.

he'll get flawed and unreliable results, imo.

4 years ago
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dwnq

4 years ago
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I learned that crimson isn't a purpleish color.

4 years ago
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Damn, that english was very diffucult to understand :-D
But anyway it's done for me

4 years ago
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This is psychology research huh? Well that explains a lot ๐Ÿ˜ณ

4 years ago
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Don't know if you will receive results you can work with, if you get people to take part in the survey just to have a chance getting fallout 4. Maybe this fact alone is part of the survey. Nevertheless i didn't take part in it, because of the leading questions.

4 years ago
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I'm not a fan of this survey, either; it seems like the sort of thing that politicians use to demonize video games for society's ills. Reading most of the questions, it seemed like they were designed to elicit specific responses to lead readers of the thesis to the conclusion that video games are evil drugs that rot people's minds and make them into violent criminals. I also have OCD, which would've colored the responses inappropriately; yes, "I donโ€™t pay attention to what Iโ€™m doing because Iโ€™m daydreaming, worrying, or otherwise distracted," but it's because I have OCD that causes me to fixate on things, and not because video games have destroyed my attention span.

4 years ago
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+1

4 years ago
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i forgot to mention the last part when it asks you how many hours you play a day..
weekends are typically very different for me so maybe ask average in a week or total in a week in estimate

4 years ago
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The wording is kinda ambiguous. For example:

There is no reason to fine those who draw โ€˜โ€˜graffitiโ€ on walls since others commit much more serious acts of vandalism.

I would agree under the interpretation that i actually like graffiti, so for me drawing stuff on walls is not vandalism as long as they're not random gibberish or doodles. But i don't agree under the interpretation that there are much more serious acts of vandalism: the existence of a worse problem doesn't make the first one any less important.

Young people cannot be considered guilty if they smoke a joint since most adults use much stronger drugs.

Again, my interpretation would be that it's fine to smoke a joint once in a while because is a vice like another and really not that important, but i would disagree under the guise that, like above, people doing worse stuff doesn't automatically entitle you to do less "important" shit.

I have tried to control, cut back or stop playing, or I usually play with the video games over a longer period than I intended.

Depending on the interpretation, "tried to control etc." can mean that i have a problem with managing playtime or that i actually don't have a problem and don't need to reorganize it.

Also i'm finding myself answering 1 to almost all gaming-related questions, since they're pretty leading.

4 years ago*
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I had trouble with some of the wording as well.

Victims generally have trouble staying out of harmโ€™s way.

I couldn't make heads or tails of this. Is it saying victims frequently stumble into harmful situations, that they're to blame for stumbling into harmful situations, or that the one specific thing that victimized them would have been hard to avoid?

Pornography is basically a cheap form of erotic activity.

I...guess? What does erotic activity mean?

Also, the use of the phrasing "the video games" all the time made me laugh. "When I feel bad, I use the video games more often" sounds incredibly dramatic. But the survey was overall fun to fill out.

4 years ago*
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About the pornography question i answered something in the region of I disagree, mostly because i can't really find what's the point of the question. Is implying that pornography is a cheap substitute for actual sex and that if i have an healthy sexual activity i shouldn't watch it? Because when i had a girlfriend we often watched pornography together. And not always watching pornos means that i'm about to masturbate.

4 years ago
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Well, if a person is addicted to games, heavily influenced by violence in games and disconnected with world, pornography can be a very unhealthy dose of energy towards already such a weak mind and can influence it more. Watching some twisted or hardcore porn could satisfy their pent up anger and scratch some deep itches. Which could lead to sick view on world and towards other people.

And I wouldnt brush away possibility of reasons like these to condition easily influenceable kids to actually commit crimes in real life which could easily lead to serious crimes like murder or rape.

We actually have taken games for granted and saying they dont affect kids and people is a bit of a stretch. While most of healthy people really dont take such an affect from games and understand its just a form of entertainment we should cover immature minds from such content.

Those are parallels I could draw with topic at hand.. How is it meant in the survey ? Beats me..

As for pornography -I think that industry should be heavily controlled. At a state it is now it should be eradicated. the "american dream" - sell your body for others to use and enjoy. I understand people can do with their bodies as they wish and there is no shortage of "normal" porn but at amounts that there are sick fetish porns and hardcore porn to pander to the lowest common denominator its just beyond anything that should be considered normal. And what it is now - it is cheap erotic form of activity. It gives no content and it degrades people in the porn (again - Im referencing fetish videos and such)

4 years ago
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I don't know what kind of fetish videos you're referring to, but as long as it's not illegal or harmulf/forced i think that everyone has fetishes and are free to express them as they like (obviously within the rules of safe and consensual sex). I don't like extreme insertions, for example, but hey, if someone likes it who am i to judge?
Obviously, the situation is different when talking about straight up illegal or potentially harmful contents, which are already outlawed or heavily frowned upon (2 girls 1 cup is a prime example, even if it has become a meme someone surely has gotten off that kind of videos). Even deep fetishists have standards.

But right now i don't think that the porno industry has to be regulated, mostly because on the internet you can find literally anything and it would be impossible to check what contents will be created and distribuited. It's just the way it is, unfortunately.

4 years ago
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When is it ever forced ? They pay the actress, probably some contract, its on camera - its porn, hence its legal.
Id say its sort of taboo subject..

Well, Im coming from country where people are sort of conservative towards stuff like this. There has been porn actresses from our country, but they are frowned upon after that. So Id say my distaste towards the porn industry comes partly from cultural environment.
I have always seen porn as degrading - putting women as a an object for low lives to drool over. And basically rich scumbags to trow money at willing women and get pleasure out of it.

Regarding the fetish videos - you dont even how to go to specific sites. Those very generic "normal" type of sites regularly upload very questionable content. Of course all that is legal and consensual. Doesnt take out morality out of equation though. Your probably right about regulating it - most likely the whole thing is regulated enough and all is nice and legal. Still, even being hypocritical and watching porn myself, I dont support it being created. (And to add - im not religious or not even close to being a conservative person. I just have never liked the whole industry of porn)

4 years ago
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Here's my take on the whole thing: I have a close friend who is a stripper. She and my lady used to work together at a pet store, and that wasn't paying the bills, so she decided to make her money by dancing. Are there sleazy lowlives drooling all over her? In this area, absolutely, but she sees it as empowering; they're literally throwing money at her to see her body, and she makes a KILLING on it. In this day and age, making a living wage from one job is almost impossible - I've been in pharmacy longer than some users here have even been alive, and I JUST got there - so if what she's doing allows her to pay the bills, makes her feel good about herself, and doesn't hurt anyone, then I don't think it's such a terrible thing.

Sex is a really big taboo in most societies, and I think that's a little overdone. Yes, I get that sex can lead to addiction, and any kind of addiction can consume your life - religion finds it immoral largely for this reason; avoiding the seven sins is to try to keep your head clear and focused, for example - but you can be addicted to virtually anything, even things you need to live, like food. Sex, whether it be full-on penetration or just masturbation, is a normal part of life, and I don't feel it's anything to be ashamed of. I mean, it's probably not okay to just walk up to someone and start talking to them about sex right off the bat, but I don't think we should be as afraid of it as we are. I'm also not saying that we should give in to every little urge that we have - that would be addiction - but it isn't evil; it's how every single person on this planet was born, unless test tube babies are a reality now. As for fetishes, what turns us on is what turns us on, and there's nothing wrong with that, either, unless it's illegal. There are people that fetishize feet and hands, but that doesn't mean that we need to force everyone to wear closed-toed shoes and gloves at all times. On the other side of the coin, too, I don't think that sex is a special, magical experience that is the ultimate expression of love, either; it's just a fun thing that you do together. My lady and I have been together for ages, and that's just how it is: sometimes, we have fun with each other's bodies; sometimes, we go to the local flea market; it's all the same to us.

4 years ago
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Thanks for the input ;) I totally agree with everything you said. I just said I dont particularly like porn industry as such. What we enjoy and what we do in our intimacy with our partners is up to us and totally shouldnt be business of others and I dont judge that. I specifically dont like the exploitation of women with promises of money and fabulous life style in the industry (though that is less and less true by day anyway, but to be honest going in such a detail is a discussion for a different time and thread probably :D)

4 years ago
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Well as others have noted, this survey does seem to hint at the hypothesis that games either lead to psychopathic/sociopathic behavior or attract people with the corresponding psychological abnormalities. This is unfortunate.
I would hope that someone seriously researches the correlations of gaming with intelligence, creativity, decision making and problem solving abilities. And not the usual "games are violent and most gamers are psychos" cliche. I hope I'm wrong about your research though.

4 years ago
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