Long-term study finds no link between videogames and sexism

Article here. Excerpt:

'Breitbart readers are no doubt sceptical of hasty claims to scientific authority, so allow me to explain why this study is worth paying attention to. Firstly, it was a long-term study, taking place over the course of three years. Much of the confusion around whether games cause violence is due to the confusion of short-term effects with long-term ones. It was once erroneously argued that short-term increases in aggression following certain video games proved they cause violence. Later studies found that these effects did not persist over time. The fact that this study took place over three years allowed the researchers to separate long-term effects from short-term ones.

The study also involved a very substantial sample size. This is important, as small samples are more likely to be skewed by outlier effects. Attempting to generalize the results of small studies to the wider population can lead to whopping great errors, such as the notorious “1-in-5″ statistic that spread panic about sexual assault on US campuses. The smaller your sample, the less reliable your results.

But enough about methodology. If you want a full analysis of the strengths of the study, this post from a statistician and #gamergate supporter provides an excellent explanation of why this study is so significant. Let’s turn to what it means for the wider debate.'