scholarly journals Training with audio and video games improves audiospatial performance in a “cocktail-party” task: A controlled intervention study in young adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Barend Schuchert ◽  
Jörg Lewald
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cocktail Party ◽  
Computer Gaming ◽  
Training Time

AbstractComputer game playing has been suggested to be an effective training to enhance perceptual and cognitive abilities. Focusing on potential improvements in auditory selective spatial attention induced by computer gaming, we compared a passive waiting-control group with two gaming groups, playing either a first-person audio-only action game requiring spatial attention and sound localization or a platform side-scroller video game without audiospatial components, which has been shown to improve cognitive performance in previous studies. Prior to and immediately after game training for 1 month for at least 30 min per day (total training time ≥15 h), healthy young adults were tested in an audiospatial task simulating a “cocktail-party” situation with multiple speakers at different positions. The proportion of correct target localizations was significantly increased after audio and video gaming compared with the control group. However, there were no significant differences between gaming groups, with similarly strong effects of action audio game and non-action video game trainings on auditory selective spatial attention. Thus, it seems as if successful training of “cocktail-party” listening can be induced not only by modality-specific near-transfer learning within the audiospatial domain, but also by far transfer of trained cognitive skills across sensory modalities, which may enhance domain-general processes supporting selective attention.

The Impacts of Video Games on Cognition (and How the Government Can Guide the Industry)

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Shawn Green ◽  
Aaron R. Seitz
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Brain And Behavior ◽  
The Government

Video game play has become a pervasive part of American culture. The dramatic increase in the popularity of video games has resulted in significant interest in the effects that video gaming may have on the brain and behavior. The scientific research to date indicates that some, but not all, commercial video games do indeed have the potential to cause large-scale changes in a wide variety of aspects of human behavior, including the focus of this review—cognitive abilities. More recent years have seen the rise of a separate form of video games, the so-called “brain games,” or games designed with the explicit goal of enhancing cognitive abilities. Although research on such brain games is still in its infancy, and the results have definitely not been uniformly positive, there is nonetheless reason for continued optimism that custom games can be developed that make a lasting and positive impact on human cognitive skills. Here, we discuss the current state of the scientific literature surrounding video games and human cognition with an emphasis on points critically related to public policy.

Predictors of Problematic Video Game Usage in Childhood and Adolescence

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Mößle ◽  
Florian Rehbein
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
School Children ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Longitudinal Control ◽  
Peer Problems ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Usage Patterns

Aim: The aim of this article is to work out the differential significance of risk factors of media usage, personality and social environment in order to explain problematic video game usage in childhood and adolescence. Method: Data are drawn from the Berlin Longitudinal Study Media, a four-year longitudinal control group study with 1 207 school children. Data from 739 school children who participated at 5th and 6th grade were available for analysis. Result: To explain the development of problematic video game usage, all three areas, i. e. specific media usage patterns, certain aspects of personality and certain factors pertaining to social environment, must be taken into consideration. Video game genre, video gaming in reaction to failure in the real world (media usage), the children’s/adolescents’ academic self-concept (personality), peer problems and parental care (social environment) are of particular significance. Conclusion: The results of the study emphasize that in future – and above all also longitudinal – studies different factors regarding social environment must also be taken into account with the recorded variables of media usage and personality in order to be able to explain the construct of problematic video game usage. Furthermore, this will open up possibilities for prevention.

scholarly journals Sports training enhances visuo-spatial cognition regardless of open-closed typology

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Yu Chueh ◽  
Chung-Ju Huang ◽  
Shu-Shih Hsieh ◽  
Kuan-Fu Chen ◽  
Yu-Kai Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Sports Training ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Speed Accuracy

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of open and closed sport participation on visuo-spatial attention and memory performance among young adults. Forty-eight young adults—16 open-skill athletes, 16 closed-skill athletes, and 16 non-athletes controls—were recruited for the study. Both behavioral performance and event-related potential (ERP) measurement were assessed when participants performed non-delayed and delayed match-to-sample task that tested visuo-spatial attention and memory processing. Results demonstrated that regardless of training typology, the athlete groups exhibited shorter reaction times in both the visuo-spatial attention and memory conditions than the control group with no existence of speed-accuracy trade-off. Similarly, a larger P3 amplitudes were observed in both athlete groups than in the control group for the visuo-spatial memory condition. These findings suggest that sports training, regardless of typology, are associated with superior visuo-spatial attention and memory performance, and more efficient neural resource allocation in memory processing.

scholarly journals How prior experience, cognitive skills and practice are related with eye-hand span and performance in video gaming

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Nivala ◽  
Agnes Cichy ◽  
Hans Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Prior Experience ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
And Performance

Research has shown that performance in visual domains depends on domain-specific cognitive and perceptual adaptations that result from extensive practice. However, less is known about processes and factors that underpin the acquisition of such adaptations. The present study investigated how prior experience, cognitive skills, task difficulty and practice effect eye-hand span (EHS) and performance in video gaming. Thirty-three participants played a platformer video game in a pre-test/practice/post-test experiment. Eye movements and keypresses were recorded. The results show that a short practice period improved performance but did not increase EHS. Instead, EHS was related to task difficulty. Furthermore, while EHS correlated with initial performance, this effect seemed to diminish after practice. Cognitive skills (concentration endurance, working memory, mental flexibility and executive functioning) predicted performance in some parts of the experiment. The study offers insights into the early development of visual adaptations and performance.

Video and Internet Gaming Addiction Among Young Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S203-S204 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Guermazi ◽  
N. Halouani ◽  
K. Yaich ◽  
R. Ennaoui ◽  
S. Chouayakh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Gaming Addiction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Internet Gaming ◽  
Internet Games

IntroductionWith the popularity of high-tech devices and Internet use in recent years, playing online or offline games has become a popular activity, among young adults (YA). However, research suggests that excessive engagement may in extreme cases lead to symptoms commonly experienced by substance addicts.AimsEstimate the prevalence of problematic use of video and Internet games (PUVIG) among YA. Determine the factors associated with it.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out during the first half of September 2016. A sample of 69 YA with a high education's level was randomly selected from the general population. Data were collected through a global questionnaire consisted of a sociodemographic part, the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Problem Video Game playing questionnaire, online network game scale and the Perceived Stress Scale.ResultsThe average age was 27.6 years. The majority (70%) reported using video or Internet games. The risk of dependency to online network games involved 10% of game players while the presence of video games use consequences concerning 16%. Gaming addiction was significantly more likely in boys (P = 0.001). The students had more PUVIG than employees (P = 0.036). A link was highlighted with a problematic Internet use (P = 0.008), a facebook addiction (P = 0.001) and high perceived stress level (0.014).ConclusionsPlaying video and Internet games is a widespread activity among YA. The factors potentially involved are inevitably multiple and complex. It supports the need to carefully explore these emerging practices among this vulnerable population and suggest the establishment of better prevention and better tracking of video gaming.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Lack of correlation between number of neurons and behavioral performance in Swiss mice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neves Kleber ◽  
Gerson Duarte Guercio ◽  
Anjos-Travassos Yuri ◽  
Costa Stella ◽  
Perozzo Ananda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Swiss Mice ◽  
Behavioral Tasks ◽  
Neuronal Number

AbstractNeuronal number varies by several orders of magnitude across species, and has been proposed to predict cognitive capability across species. Remarkably, numbers of neurons vary across individual mice by a factor of 2 or more. We directly addressed the question of whether there is a relationship between performance in behavioral tests and the number of neurons in functionally relevant structures in the mouse brain. Naïve Swiss mice went through a battery of behavioral tasks designed to measure cognitive, motor and olfactory skills. We estimated the number of neurons in different brain regions (cerebral cortex, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, cerebellum and remaining areas) and crossed the two datasets to test the a priori hypothesis of correlation between cognitive abilities and numbers of neurons. As previous evidence indicates that environmental enrichment may increase neurogenesis and improve neuronal survival, we added a control group that did not undergo cognitive testing to rule out the possibility that our test battery could alter the neuronal number. We found that behavioral testing did not change numbers of neurons in the cerebral cortex and in the hippocampus. Surprisingly, performance in the behavioral tasks did not correlate strongly with number of neurons in any of the brain regions studied. Our results show that whereas neuronal number is a good predictor of cognitive skills across species, it is not a predictor of cognitive, sensory or motor ability across individuals within a species, which suggests that other factors are more relevant for explaining cognitive differences between individuals of the same species.

scholarly journals Transfer of Learning in People who Are Blind: Enhancement of Spatial-Cognitive Abilities through Drawing

2018 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lora T. Likova ◽  
Laura Cacciamani
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Transfer Of Learning ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Method ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Blind Individuals

Introduction This study assessed whether basic spatial-cognitive abilities can be enhanced in people who are blind through transfer of learning from drawing training. Methods Near-body spatial-cognitive performance was assessed through the Cognitive Test for the Blind (CTB), which assesses a wide range of basic spatial-cognitive skills. The CTB was administered to 21 participants who are blind in two behavioral testing sessions separated by five days. For participants in the “trained” group, these intervening days were occupied by the Cognitive-Kinesthetic Drawing Training method, during which participants learned how to draw freehand from memory. The “control” participants were not trained. Results The results showed significantly increased overall CTB performance in the trained but not in the control group, indicating that the drawing training effectively enhanced spatial-cognitive abilities. A three- to six-month follow-up session with a subset of trained participants suggested that these training-induced spatial-cognitive improvements might persist over time, at least for some tasks. Discussion These findings demonstrate that learning to draw from memory without vision over just five sessions can lead to enhancement of basic spatial-cognitive abilities beyond the drawing task. This study is the first to examine the transfer of learning of cognitive ability in blind individuals. Implications for practitioners This study sheds light on the Cognitive-Kinesthetic Drawing Training as an effective wide-range rehabilitation technique that could be used to enhance basic spatial-cognitive abilities in those who are blind.

Acquisition of Perceptual-Motor Skill: Adaptive and Part-Whole Training

1984 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 522-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir M. Mané
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Motor Skill ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Training Method ◽  
Training Time ◽  
Adaptive Training ◽  
Computer Controlled ◽  
Game Elements

The effectiveness of two training methods was investigated in the training of a complex perceptual-motor skill. Subjects learned how to play a computer controlled video-game. In adaptive training, pacing of the game elements was the adaptive variable. In the part training condition subjects received training in four subtasks which were designed to train specific elements of the skill necessary for the performance of the task. A comparison of training time as well as performance at fixed time points against a control group indicated that the training manipulations were effective. The part training method was clearly the best. The adaptive training method yielded mixed results. However, some support for the effectiveness of the method was observed. The results are discussed in terms of the principles for design of training devices and programs.

The Hitman Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Ferguson ◽  
Stephanie M. Rueda
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Mood Management ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Video Game Playing ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
The Social

This article explores commonly discussed theories of violent video game effects: the social learning, mood management, and catharsis hypotheses. An experimental study was carried out to examine violent video game effects. In this study, 103 young adults were given a frustration task and then randomized to play no game, a nonviolent game, a violent game with good versus evil theme (i.e., playing as a good character taking on evil), or a violent game in which they played as a “bad guy.” Results indicated that randomized video game play had no effect on aggressive behavior; real-life violent video game-playing history, however, was predictive of decreased hostile feelings and decreased depression following the frustration task. Results do not support a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior, but do suggest that violent games reduce depression and hostile feelings in players through mood management.

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