Recent work on the social effects of video gaming has moved away from the view they are detrimental, and has instead demonstrated how they may be a force for good. One example is how collaborative intergroup play can reduce prejudice between groups. However, this literature is at a nascent stage, and many of the intricacies of such a mechanism are unknown. Previous work has predominantly used attitude scales and ignored other measures. Factors such as the role of the opponent in games and what may be the mechanism behind any effects have likewise received little attention. In this laboratory study, participants played collaborative games with an outgroup member or alone. Their opponent was also reported to be computer controlled or controlled by another person. Following play, intergroup anxiety was reported, and participants wrote a short passage of prose regarding the outgroup and rated on attitude scales. Analysis demonstrated that playing with outgroup members was indeed an effective method of increasing the positivity toward outgroup members, reflected in both scale and prose measures. Anxiety was also found to be a significant mediator; however, it was less clear whether a human opponent moderated any effects. Further ideas of how these findings could be developed are then discussed. Public Policy Relevance StatementPlaying collaborative video games with individuals who belong to rival groups reduces subsequent prejudice toward that group as a whole. This is reflected not only in attitude measures but also in the language used to refer to that group. The effect seems to be mediated by reducing anxiety about another group's members, and does not seem reliant on playing against a human opponent. This offers a useful and efficient way to improve relations between rival groups.

Previous work has shown that extended practice leads to a reduction in a key measure of cognitive inhibition during task switching: The n-2 task repetition cost. However, it has been demonstrated that this n-2 task repetition cost is increased by a non-inhibitory process-namely episodic retrieval-raising the question of whether the observed reduction of the cost with practice is driven by a reduction in inhibition, episodic retrieval effects, or a combination of both. The current study addresses this question by utilising a practice protocol using a task switching paradigm capable of controlling for episodic retrieval. The results showed a reduction in the n-2 task repetition cost with extended practice. The results also showed a clear increase of the n-2 task repetition cost due to episodic retrieval effects. The reduction of the cost with practice was driven by a reduction in inhibition and episodic retrieval contributions to the cost with practice, although there was a larger reduction in the episodic retrieval contribution with practice. The results are discussed with reference to current theoretical models of inhibition in task switching, which need to accommodate episodic retrieval and practice effects.

Recent work on the social effects of video gaming has moved away from the view they are detrimental, and has instead demonstrated how they may be a force for good. One example is how collaborative intergroup play can reduce prejudice between groups. However, this literature is at a nascent stage, and many of the intricacies of such a mechanism are unknown. Previous work has predominantly used attitude scales and ignored other measures. Factors such as the role of the opponent in games and what may be the mechanism behind any effects has likewise received little attention. In this laboratory study, participants played collaborative games with an outgroup member, or alone. Their opponent was also reported to be computer-controlled, or controlled by another person. Following play, intergroup anxiety was reported, and participants wrote a short passage of prose regarding the outgroup as well as rating on attitude scales. Analysis demonstrated that playing with outgroup members was indeed an effective method of increase the positivity towards outgroup members, reflected in both scale and prose measures. Anxiety was also found to be a significant mediator; however it was less clear whether a human opponent moderated any effects. Further ideas of how these findings could be developed are then discussed.

Previous work has shown that extended practice leads to a reduction in a key measure of cognitive inhibition during task switching: The n-2 task repetition cost. However, it has been demonstrated that this n-2 task repetition cost is increased by a non-inhibitory process-namely episodic retrieval-raising the question of whether the observed reduction of the cost with practice is driven by a reduction in inhibition, episodic retrieval effects, or a combination of both. The current study addresses this question by utilising a practice protocol using a task switching paradigm capable of controlling for episodic retrieval. The results showed a reduction in the n-2 task repetition cost with extended practice. The results also showed a clear increase of the n-2 task repetition cost due to episodic retrieval effects. The reduction of the cost with practice was driven by a reduction in inhibition and episodic retrieval contributions to the cost with practice, although there was a larger reduction in the episodic retrieval contribution with practice. The results are discussed with reference to current theoretical models of inhibition in task switching, which need to accommodate episodic retrieval and practice effects.