During an online multiplayer game, players can see each other’s webcams in a sidebar. According to deindividuation theory, this setup should decrease toxic chat compared to voice‑only play because:

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Question restatement: In an online multiplayer game where players can see each other’s webcams in a sidebar, deindividuation theory predicts a change in toxic chat behavior during gameplay, and the question asks why this setup should decrease toxic chat compared to voice-only play.
Option 1: 'Diffusion of responsibility is maximised.' This would imply that individuals feel less personal accountability, which tends to increase not decrease toxicity. Deindividuation often reduces personal accountability, but diffusion of responsibility is typically associated with worse, not better, behavior, making this option inconsistent with a decrease in toxic chat.
Option 2: 'Hostile attribution bias is heightened.' Heightened hostile attribution bias means players interpret others’ actions as malevolent, which could fuel more toxic or aggressive responses rather than reducing them. This option describes a mechanism that would not explain a reduction in toxicity.
Option 3: 'Visual self-awareness cues counteract anonymity.' The presence of webcams increases self-awareness and personal accountability; when people know they are observable, they tend to regulate behavior more carefully, which aligns with a predicted decrease in toxic chat under deindividuation theory. This option directly corresponds to the idea that reducing anonymity reduces aggression.
Option 4: 'Empathy–altruism is replaced by social exchange.' This suggests a shift toward transactional interactions rather than genuine concern for others, which could influence behavior in various ways but does not directly address the specific role of visual self-awareness in counteracting anonymity to reduce toxicity. It does not provide a clear mechanism for the observed decrease.
Summary: The rationale hinges on the idea that visible self-presentation (visual self-awareness cues) mitigates anonymity and thus reduces hostile or toxic communications, whereas the other options describe effects that would not logically yield a toxicity decrease in this context.

During an online multiplayer game, players can see each other’s webcams in a sidebar. According to deindividuation theory, this setup should decrease toxic chat compared to voice‑only play because:

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