The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control

Boot, Walter R.; Kramer, Arthur F.; Simons, Daniel J.; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele

doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.09.005

Cited by 817 publications

(760 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…6 The transferable nature of these abilities may also be due to the flexibility in the kinds of training video games provide, as increasing the need for switching between task demands and the requirements for adjustments in the approach or skills used has been suggested to encourage a greater level of transfer to novel situations. 7 This has been well supported by the literature, which has demonstrated that action video game players as well as nonplayers trained using action video games have a greater attentional capacity, as measured by both flanker compatibility 2,8,9 and enumeration paradigms, 10 greater mental rotation, 11,12 executive control 2,13-16 (normally measured by task switching performance, for which participants are required to alternate quickly between two conflicting tasks), and visual short-term memory (VSTM), 13 to name but a few. However, these discoveries have not gone undisputed, and several studies have reported there to be no significant differences between VGPs and NVGPs.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 48%

“…For instance, similarly nonsignificant results have been generated in relation to enumeration, 13 flanker compatibility, 17 and task switching. 19 This appears largely to support the notion that specific task features are important in generating significant group differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The cognitive tasks were the same as those used and created by Boot et al 13 with only minor alterations, which will be noted. All were run using E-Prime v1.2, and they were performed on a 17" Dell Vostro laptop with a refresh rate of 60 Hz.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these discoveries have not gone undisputed, and several studies have reported there to be no significant differences between VGPs and NVGPs. This has been in regards to flanker interference, 17 enumeration performance, 13 and other measures that should be related to ones previously found to differentiate the two groups, such as visuospatial cognition 18 and certain task switching paradigms. 19 Many of these authors have argued that this could be due to video games only improving performance in certain tasks, and not the underlying processes they purportedly measure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Video Game Use and Cognitive Performance: Does It Vary with the Presence of Problematic Video Game Use?

Collins

Freeman

2014

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

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Action video game players have been found to outperform nonplayers on a variety of cognitive tasks. However, several failures to replicate these video game player advantages have indicated that this relationship may not be straightforward. Moreover, despite the discovery that problematic video game players do not appear to demonstrate the same superior performance as nonproblematic video game players in relation to multiple object tracking paradigms, this has not been investigated for other tasks. Consequently, this study compared gamers and nongamers in task switching ability, visual short-term memory, mental rotation, enumeration, and flanker interference, as well as investigated the influence of self-reported problematic video game use. A total of 66 participants completed the experiment, 26 of whom played action video games, including 20 problematic players. The results revealed no significant effect of playing action video games, nor any influence of problematic video game play. This indicates that the previously reported cognitive advantages in video game players may be restricted to specific task features or samples. Furthermore, problematic video game play may not have a detrimental effect on cognitive performance, although this is difficult to ascertain considering the lack of video game player advantage. More research is therefore sorely needed.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 48%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Video Game Use and Cognitive Performance: Does It Vary with the Presence of Problematic Video Game Use?

Collins

Freeman

2014

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

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“…This includes improvements in visual sensitivity [24,29], basic perimetry [20], perceptual decision making [30], speed of processing [31,32], perceptual simultaneity and temporal order judgments [21], in the capacity to select task relevant information across space [23,33 ,34-36,37 ,38] and time [23,33 ,39,40], to overcome attentional capture [41,42] and utilize cognitive control [25], in the ability to track multiple moving objects [23,43,44], to mentally rotate complex shapes [36], to remember visually presented information [45,46], and to either rapidly switch between tasks [47 , [48][49][50][51][52] or to perform multiple tasks concurrently [51,53] (although see [54][55][56][57] for failures to find such effects). The available research also strongly contradicts the popular conception of the 'triggerhappy' video game player who is willing to trade reductions in accuracy for increased speed.…”

Section: Changes In Perceptual Attentional and Cognitive Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Action video game training for cognitive enhancement

Green

Bavelier

2015

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

124

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Here we review the literature examining the perceptual, attentional, and cognitive benefits of playing one sub-type of video games known as 'action video games,' as well as the mechanistic underpinnings of these behavioral effects. We then outline evidence indicating the potential usefulness of these commercial off-the-shelf games for practical, real-world applications such as rehabilitation or the training of job-related skills. Finally, we discuss potential core characteristics of action video games that allow for wide learning generalization.

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Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children

et al. 2022

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ImportanceAlthough most research has linked video gaming to subsequent increases in aggressive behavior in children after accounting for prior aggression, findings have been divided with respect to video gaming’s association with cognitive skills.ObjectiveTo examine the association between video gaming and cognition in children using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this case-control study, cognitive performance and blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signal were compared in video gamers (VGs) and non–video gamers (NVGs) during response inhibition and working memory using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a large data set of 9- and 10-year-old children from the ABCD study, with good control of demographic, behavioral, and psychiatric confounding effects. A sample from the baseline assessment of the ABCD 2.0.1 release in 2019 was largely recruited across 21 sites in the US through public, private, and charter elementary schools using a population neuroscience approach to recruitment, aiming to mirror demographic variation in the US population. Children with valid neuroimaging and behavioral data were included. Some exclusions included common MRI contraindications, history of major neurologic disorders, and history of traumatic brain injury.ExposuresParticipants completed a self-reported screen time survey including an item asking children to report the time specifically spent on video gaming. All fMRI tasks were performed by all participants.Main Outcomes and MeasuresVideo gaming time, cognitive performance, and BOLD signal assessed with n-back and stop signal tasks on fMRI. Collected data were analyzed between October 2019 and October 2020.ResultsA total of 2217 children (mean [SD] age, 9.91 [0.62] years; 1399 [63.1%] female) participated in this study. The final sample used in the stop signal task analyses consisted of 1128 NVGs (0 gaming hours per week) and 679 VGs who played at least 21 hours per week. The final sample used in the n-back analyses consisted of 1278 NVGs who had never played video games (0 hours per week of gaming) and 800 VGs who played at least 21 hours per week. The VGs performed better on both fMRI tasks compared with the NVGs. Nonparametric analyses of fMRI data demonstrated a greater BOLD signal in VGs in the precuneus during inhibitory control. During working memory, a smaller BOLD signal was observed in VGs in parts of the occipital cortex and calcarine sulcus and a larger BOLD signal in the cingulate, middle, and frontal gyri and the precuneus.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, compared with NVGs, VGs were found to exhibit better cognitive performance involving response inhibition and working memory as well as altered BOLD signal in key regions of the cortex responsible for visual, attention, and memory processing. The findings are consistent with videogaming improving cognitive abilities that involve response inhibition and working memory and altering their underlying cortical pathways.

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The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control

Cited by 817 publications

References 30 publications

Video Game Use and Cognitive Performance: Does It Vary with the Presence of Problematic Video Game Use?

Video Game Use and Cognitive Performance: Does It Vary with the Presence of Problematic Video Game Use?

Action video game training for cognitive enhancement

Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children

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