Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0009-8073-5464

Graduation Year

2025

Date of Submission

12-2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Heidi Blocker

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

2025 Alex Y Dien

Abstract

This study explores the role of immersive environments, specifically video games, in shaping empathy and decision-making during economic exchanges like the Ultimatum Game. Traditional economic models emphasize rationality, but more recent research highlights the influence of emotions and empathy on decision-making. Using a 2x2 between-subjects design, this proposed study will investigate how varying levels of immersion (active gameplay versus passive observation) and fairness of offers (fair versus unfair) affect participants' responses to non-human characters (NPCs). I plan to recruit eighty participants, aged 18-25, to engage with a video game, Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games, 2018) either through playing or watching, incorporating fair and unfair offers from the Ultimatum Game. I expect findings to reveal that active gameplay fosters greater empathic engagement and emotional investment compared to passive observation. Participants in the "Playing" condition exhibited higher acceptance rates for unfair offers, driven by stronger parasocial relationships with NPCs. Conversely, participants in the "Watching" condition showed diminished empathy, leading to higher rejection rates for unfair offers and an increased propensity for punishment behaviors.

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