Gaming enhances learning-induced plastic changes in the brain

Junttila, Katja; Smolander, Anna-Riikka; Karhila, Reima; Giannakopoulou, Anastasia; Uther, Maria; Kurimo, Mikko; Ylinen, Sari

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105124

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Firstly, in addition to acoustic deviance the amplitude of MMN is enhanced by longterm memory traces for speech sounds (Näätänen et al, 1997) or individual spoken words (Pulvermüller et al, 2001). Processing ability reflected by the MMN governs attentive discrimination (Tiitinen et al, 1994;Amenedo and Escera, 2000), and previous training studies (Tremblay et al, 1998;Ylinen et al, 2010;Tamminen et al, 2015;Junttila et al, 2022) show that the MMN is feasible to tap the establishment of brain representations for non-native speech sounds and words that are in the focus of the present study. Therefore, measuring the MMN response allowed us to evaluate plastic changes in brain due to behavioral foreignlanguage training.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Speech training with auditory-motor activation might strengthen these connections needed in accessing phonological representations (Temple et al, 2003). Importantly, however, we also expect that auditory-motor activity associated with the speech training interacts with brain activity associated with gaming elements that have been suggested to enhance learning-induced plastic changes in the brain (Junttila et al, 2022; see also Oei and Patterson, 2013;Nahum and Bavelier, 2020, for game effects beyond language).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Nevertheless, it is not clear which other features of targeted foreign-language training are particularly beneficial for children with dyslexia because studies on foreign-language learning interventions are scarce. For example, our earlier study shows that game-based learning supports the learning of foreign speech sounds more than the use of a non-game application in typically developing children (Junttila et al, 2022), raising the question whether this holds also for children with dyslexia. Digital language-learning games can enhance player's motivation to learn by being easy to use and providing reward and feedback, right amount of challenge, control and autonomy, clearly defined goals, and interactivity (Acquah and Katz, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The game we used focuses on spoken foreign-language learning and it is based on listening and producing speech (Karhila et al, 2017;Ylinen and Kurimo, 2017;Ylinen et al, 2021;Junttila et al, 2022). In the game, players hear English words and produce them aloud, which activates the connections between temporal and frontal language areas that have been found to be deficient in people with dyslexia (Boets et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2017; see Vandermosten et al, 2012 for a review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia

Junttila

Smolander²,

Karhila³

et al. 2023

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Children with dyslexia often face difficulties in learning foreign languages, which is reflected as weaker neural activation. However, digital language-learning applications could support learning-induced plastic changes in the brain. Here we aimed to investigate whether plastic changes occur in children with dyslexia more readily after targeted training with a digital language-learning game or similar training without game-like elements. We used auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically, the mismatch negativity (MMN), to study learning-induced changes in the brain responses. Participants were 24 school-aged Finnish-speaking children with dyslexia and 24 age-matched typically reading control children. They trained English speech sounds and words with “Say it again, kid!” (SIAK) language-learning game for 5 weeks between ERP measurements. During the game, the players explored game boards and produced English words aloud to score stars as feedback from an automatic speech recognizer. To compare the effectiveness of the training type (game vs. non-game), we embedded in the game some non-game levels stripped of all game-like elements. In the dyslexia group, the non-game training increased the MMN amplitude more than the game training, whereas in the control group the game training increased the MMN response more than the non-game training. In the dyslexia group, the MMN increase with the non-game training correlated with phonological awareness: the children with poorer phonological awareness showed a larger increase in the MMN response. Improved neural processing of foreign speech sounds as indicated by the MMN increase suggests that targeted training with a simple application could alleviate some spoken foreign-language learning difficulties that are related to phonological processing in children with dyslexia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia

Junttila

Smolander²,

Karhila³

et al. 2023

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

Self Cite

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“…Dijital oyun ile ilgili alan yazında yapılan çalışmalar incelendiğinde, bu çalışmaların genellikle, öz yeterlilik (Chen ve Tu, 2021;Deng v.d., 2020;DeSmet v.d., 2018;dos Santos Chagas v.d., 2020;Mukund v.d., 2022;Wang ve Zheng, 2021;Yalçın Irmak ve Erdoğan, 2019;Yu ve Tusei, 2022), pedagoji (Becker, 2017;Chen ve Lin, 2016;Kaimara v.d., 2021;Lee ve Zhu, 2022;Trifonas, 2010), eğitici oyun (Hebert v.d., 2021Kesici, 2020;Mumcu, 2021;Wang v.d., 2022), öğrenme motivasyonu (Chen ve Wu, 2021;Deng v.d., 2020;Pill v.d., 2021;Salgarayeva v.d., 2021), işbirlikçi öğrenme (Chen v.d., 2021;Chen ve Chuang, 2021;Fu v.d., 2022;Yamazaki, 2018;Yang v.d., 2021), oyun tabanlı öğrenme (Chen, 2022;Dai v.d., 2022;Junttila, 2022;Yang ve Kuo, 2022;Zhang, 2022), motivasyon (Hoyng, 2022Sarkar ve Sarkar, 2022;Velaora v.d., 2022;Yeo v.d., 2022), katılım (Goli v.d., 2022;Liu v.d., 2022;Mahat v.d., 2022;Tay v.d., 2022;Teng v.d., 2022), dijital oyun tabanlı öğrenme (Çoban ve Göktaş, 2022;Dai v.d., 2022;Froland v.d., 2022;Korand v.d., 2022;Pan v.d., 2022), öğretme (Bardelli v.d., 2022;…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“Dijital Oyun” ile İlgili Çalışmaların İncelenmesi: Bir Bibliyometrik Analiz

ERGİN¹,

ERGİN

2022

TRT Akademi

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The main purpose of this research is to examine the studies on "digital game" in the literature by bibliometric method. Depending on the technological developments experienced, the importance of the concept of digitalization, which we encounter in all areas of our lives, is increasing. As a reflection of this situation, the definition of the concept of game has changed to include digital technologies. When the literature is examined, it has been determined that there is an increase in digital game-based studies. In this study, researches related to digital games were examined in terms of content bibliometrically. As a result of the examination, the general trends in the relevant field, the authors who studied and the classification of the studies according to the years were shown with scientific and visual maps. Web of Science (WoS) was used to obtain the data. A total of 920 publications were reached by scanning the term "Digital game" and passing through a series of screening processes. Content analysis and bibliometric analysis were used in the analysis of the data. In the research, the distribution of the studies in WoS by years, the most productive authors on the relevant subject, the universities and countries that have the most publications on the relevant subject were reached. In addition, visual maps were created with the results of co-author, co-citation, common word and citation analysis. The results of the research were discussed in line with the information in the literature.

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