Christopher Ferguson (psychologist)

Last updated

Christopher J. Ferguson
NationalityAmerican
Education Stetson University
Florida International University
University of Central Florida
AwardsDistinguished Early Career Professional Award from Division 46 of the American Psychological Association (2013)
Scientific career
Fields Psychology
Institutions Stetson University
Thesis Development and validation of a defendant and offender screening tool for psychopathology in inmate populations  (2003)
Doctoral advisor Charles Negy
Website christopherjferguson.com

Christopher J. Ferguson is an American psychologist who serves as a professor and co-chair of psychology at Stetson University in Florida. [1] He previously served as an associate professor of psychology and criminal justice at Texas A&M International University. [2] In 2014, he was named a fellow of the American Psychological Association. [1] Ferguson is also a published author who has written both fiction and nonfiction.

Contents

Education

Ferguson received his B.A. in psychology from Stetson University, his M.S. in developmental psychology from Florida International University, and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida. [1]

Research and views

Ferguson is known for publishing studies disputing the link between video games and violent behavior. [2] He has argued that violent video games have remained popular even while youth violence has fallen to a 40-year low. [3] In 2008, Ferguson criticized a study published by Craig A. Anderson that found a link between violent video games and aggression. Ferguson stated, in a letter to the editor of Pediatrics, that the study suffered from "weak results" and "misleading conclusions". [4] Ferguson published a study in 2014 that found that although there was a correlation between media violence and homicide rates for the mid-20th century, this correlation broke down after the 1950s. [5] [6] He was recently an author in several papers, including two meta-analyses, arguing that the evidence against the use of physical punishment is exaggerated, and cautioning against the potential dangers of this. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Publications

In 2014, Ferguson published the novel Suicide Kings. [11] His first nonfiction book, Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong, coauthored with Patrick M. Markey and published in 2017 by BenBella Books, addresses his views on the link between video games and violent behavior. [12] In 2020, Ferguson published How Madness Shaped History: An Eccentric Array of Maniacal Rulers, Raving Narcissists, and Psychotic Visionaries, which focuses on the way madness, or personality disorders, have affected a variety of global leaders and influential people throughout human history. [13] He has also written a number of short stories, some of which have been published in magazines or anthology collections. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time-out (parenting)</span> Short removal of a person for disciplinary reasons

A time-out is a form of behavioral modification that involves temporarily separating a person from an environment where an unacceptable behavior has occurred. The goal is to remove that person from an enriched, enjoyable environment, and therefore lead to extinction of the offending behavior. It is an educational and parenting technique recommended by most pediatricians and developmental psychologists as an effective form of discipline. During time-outs, a corner or a similar space is designated, where the person is to sit or stand. This form of discipline is especially popular in Western cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggression</span> Social interaction aiming at inflicting harm or unpleasantness

Aggression is a behavior aimed at opposing or attacking something or someone. Though often done with the intent to cause harm, it can be channeled into creative and practical outlets for some. It may occur either reactively or without provocation. In humans, aggression can be caused by various triggers. For example, built-up frustration due to blocked goals or perceived disrespect. Human aggression can be classified into direct and indirect aggression; whilst the former is characterized by physical or verbal behavior intended to cause harm to someone, the latter is characterized by behavior intended to harm the social relations of an individual or group.

Game studies, also known as ludology, is the study of games, the act of playing them, and the players and cultures surrounding them. It is a field of cultural studies that deals with all types of games throughout history. This field of research utilizes the tactics of, at least, folkloristics and cultural heritage, sociology and psychology, while examining aspects of the design of the game, the players in the game, and the role the game plays in its society or culture. Game studies is oftentimes confused with the study of video games, but this is only one area of focus; in reality game studies encompasses all types of gaming, including sports, board games, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobo doll experiment</span> Psychology experiment

The Bobo doll experiment is the collective name for a series of experiments performed by psychologist Albert Bandura to test his social learning theory. Between 1961 and 1963, he studied children's behaviour after watching an adult model act aggressively towards a Bobo doll. The most notable variation of the experiment measured the children's behavior after seeing the adult model rewarded, punished, or experience no consequence for physically abusing the Bobo doll.

School violence includes violence between school students as well as attacks by students on school staff and attacks by school staff on students. It encompasses physical violence, including student-on-student fighting, corporal punishment; psychological violence such as verbal abuse, and sexual violence, including rape and sexual harassment. It includes many forms of bullying and carrying weapons to school. The one or more perpetrators typically have more physical, social, and/or psychological power than the victim. It is a widely accepted serious societal problem in recent decades in many countries, especially where weapons such as guns or knives are involved.

Grounding is a general discipline technique in the United States and other countries, which is restriction of children at home from going out, with the exception of any obligations. During this time period, any positive reinforcement is taken away and other privileges, such as but not limited to using the Internet, playing video games, watching television, listening to music, or using the telephone are often revoked. A common use of grounding is room restriction, where children are confined to their bedrooms with the exception of obligations.

The studies of violence in radio analyzes the degree of correlation between themes of violence in media sources with real-world aggression and violence over time. Many social scientists support the correlation, however, some scholars argue that media research has methodological problems and that findings are exaggerated. Other scholars have suggested that the correlation exists, but can be unconventional to the current public belief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Baumrind</span>

Diana Blumberg Baumrind was a clinical and developmental psychologist known for her research on parenting styles and for her critique of the use of deception in psychological research.

Occupational health psychology (OHP) is an interdisciplinary area of psychology that is concerned with the health and safety of workers. OHP addresses a number of major topic areas including the impact of occupational stressors on physical and mental health, the impact of involuntary unemployment on physical and mental health, work-family balance, workplace violence and other forms of mistreatment, psychosocial workplace factors that affect accident risk and safety, and interventions designed to improve and/or protect worker health. Although OHP emerged from two distinct disciplines within applied psychology, namely, health psychology and industrial and organizational psychology, for a long time the psychology establishment, including leaders of industrial/organizational psychology, rarely dealt with occupational stress and employee health, creating a need for the emergence of OHP. OHP has also been informed by other disciplines, including occupational medicine, sociology, industrial engineering, and economics, as well as preventive medicine and public health. OHP is thus concerned with the relationship of psychosocial workplace factors to the development, maintenance, and promotion of workers' health and that of their families. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization estimate that exposure to long working hours causes an estimated 745,000 workers to die from ischemic heart disease and stroke in 2016, mediated by occupational stress.

Nonviolent video games are video games characterized by little or no violence. As the term is vague, game designers, developers, and marketers that describe themselves as non-violent video game makers, as well as certain reviewers and members of the non-violent gaming community, often employ it to describe games with comparatively little or no violence. The definition has been applied flexibly to games in such purposive genres as the Christian video game. However, a number of games at the fringe of the "non-violence" label can only be viewed as objectively violent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporal punishment in the home</span> Form of punishment used by parents to inflict physical pain or discomfort

Physical or corporal punishment by a parent or other legal guardian is any act causing deliberate physical pain or discomfort to a minor child in response to some undesired behavior. It typically takes the form of spanking or slapping the child with an open hand or striking with an implement such as a belt, slipper, cane, hairbrush or paddle, whip, hanger, and can also include shaking, pinching, forced ingestion of substances, or forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions.

Game addiction problems can induce repetitive strain injuries, skin disorders or other health issues. Other problems include video game-provoked seizures in patients with epilepsy. In rare and extreme cases, deaths have resulted from excessive video game playing.

Craig A. Anderson is an American professor and director at the Department of Psychology, Iowa State University in Ames. He obtained his PhD at Stanford University in 1980.

Cartoon violence is the representation of violent actions involving animated characters and situations. This may include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted. Animated violence is sometimes partitioned into comedic and non-comedic cartoon violence. Popular television programs with cartoon violence include Rick and Morty, Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, and Family Guy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Correlates of crime</span> Things associated with unlawful behavior

The correlates of crime explore the associations of specific non-criminal factors with specific crimes.

Since their inception in the 1970s, video games have often been criticized by some for violent content. Politicians, parents, and other activists have claimed that violence in video games can be tied to violent behavior, particularly in children, and have sought ways to regulate the sale of video games. Studies have shown no connection between video games and violent behavior. The American Psychological Association states that while there is a well-established link between violent video games and aggressive behaviors, attributing acts of violence to violent video gaming "is not scientifically sound."

The Ferguson effect is an increase in violent crime rates in a community caused by reduced proactive policing due to the community's distrust and hostility towards police. The Ferguson effect was first proposed after police saw an increase in violence following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The term was coined by Doyle Sam Dotson III, the chief of the St. Louis police, to account for an increased murder rate in some U.S. cities following the Ferguson unrest. Whether the Ferguson effect really exists is subject of discussions with many published studies reporting contradicting findings concerning whether there is a change in crime rates, number of 911 calls, homicides, and proactive policing. Furthermore, the effect and influence of the portrayal of police brutality in the media is also contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Gershoff</span> American psychologist

Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff is Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She is known for her research on the impact of corporal punishment in the home and at school on children and their mental health.

The culture of violence theory addresses the pervasiveness of specific violent patterns within a societal dimension. The concept of violence being ingrained in Western society and culture has been around for at least the 20th century. Developed from structural violence, as research progressed the notion that a culture can sanction violent acts developed into what we know as culture of violence theory today. Two prominent examples of culture legitimizing violence can be seen in rape myths and victim blaming. Rape myths lead to misconstrued notions of blame; it is common for the responsibility associated with the rape to be placed on the victim rather than the offender.

The relationships between digital media use and mental health have been investigated by various researchers—predominantly psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and medical experts—especially since the mid-1990s, after the growth of the World Wide Web. A significant body of research has explored "overuse" phenomena, commonly known as "digital addictions", or "digital dependencies." These phenomena manifest differently in many societies and cultures. Some experts have investigated the benefits of moderate digital media use in various domains, including in mental health, and the treatment of mental health problems with novel technological solutions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Christopher Ferguson". Stetson University. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Carey, Benedict (February 11, 2013). "Shooting in the Dark". New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  3. Jaslow, Ryan (February 18, 2013). "Violent video games and mass violence: A complex link". CBS News. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. Peckham, Matt (November 6, 2008). "Violence in Games: A Conversation with Christopher Ferguson, Part One". Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  5. Ferguson, Christopher J. (February 2015). "Does Movie or Video Game Violence Predict Societal Violence? It Depends on What You Look at and When". Journal of Communication. 65 (1): 193–212. doi:10.1111/jcom.12142.
  6. Stuart, Keith (November 10, 2014). "Video games are not making us more violent, study shows". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  7. Larzelere, Robert E.; Gunnoe, Marjorie L.; Roberts, Mark W; Ferguson, Christopher J. (2017). "Children and Parents Deserve Better Parental Discipline Research: Critiquing the Evidence for Exclusively "Positive" Parenting". Marriage & Family Review. 53 (1): 24–35. doi: 10.1080/01494929.2016.1145613 .
  8. Larzelere, Robert E.; Gunnoe, Marjorie L.; Ferguson, Christopher J. (November 2018). "Improving Causal Inferences in Meta‐analyses of Longitudinal Studies: Spanking as an Illustration". Child Development. 89 (6): 2038–2050. doi:10.1111/cdev.13097. PMID   29797703.
  9. Larzelere, Robert E.; Gunnoe, Marjorie L.; Roberts, Mark W; Ferguson, Christopher J. (2019). "The insufficiency of the evidence used to categorically oppose spanking and its implications for families and psychological science: Comment on Gershoff et al. (2018)". American Psychologist. 74 (4): 497–499. doi:10.1037/amp0000461. PMID   31070404. S2CID   148569003.
  10. Ferguson, Christopher J. (February 2013). "Spanking, corporal punishment and negative long-term outcomes: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies". Clinical Psychology Review. 33 (1): 196–208. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.11.002. PMID   23274727.
  11. Suicide Kings. ASIN   1628300701.
  12. Moral Combat. ASIN   1942952988.
  13. How Madness Shaped History. ASIN   1633885747.
  14. "Christopher J. Ferguson". bewilderingstories.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.