Cognitive, not physical, engagement in video gaming influences executive functioning

Flynn, Rachel M.; Richert, Rebekah A.

doi:10.1080/15248372.2017.1419246

Cited by 35 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…To our knowledge this is the first study that evaluates effects of prolonged exergame playing on cognitive inhibitory control skills in children. Our results can be partially compared with those of Flynn and Richert (2018) and Best (2012) , who both demonstrate the effect of an acute bout of exergame on visual perceptual skills using a Flanker test (better accuracy and reaction time). In a similar study design, O’Leary et al (2011) found no exergame benefits on cognitive control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2021

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This study evaluated the effects of an exergame program (TennisVirtua-4, Playstation Kinect) combined with traditional tennis training on autonomic regulation, tennis technique, gross motor skills, clinical reaction time, and cognitive inhibitory control in children. Sixty-three children were randomized into four groups (1st – two exergame and two regular trainings sessions/week, 2nd – one exergame and one regular training sessions/week, 3rd – two regular trainings sessions/week, and 4th – one regular training session/week) and compared at baseline, 6-month immediately post intervention and at 1-year follow-up post intervention. At 6-month post intervention the combined exergame and regular training sessions revealed: higher breathing frequency, heart rate (all ps ≤ 0.001) and lower skin conductance levels (p = 0.001) during exergaming; additional benefits in the point of contact and kinetic chain elements of the tennis forehand and backhand technique (all ps ≤ 0.001); negative impact on the shot preparation and the follow-through elements (all ps ≤ 0.017); higher ball skills (as part of the gross motor skills) (p < 0.001); higher percentages of clinical reaction time improvement (1st −9.7% vs 3rd group −7.4% and 2nd −6.6% vs 4th group −4.4%, all ps ≤ 0.003) and cognitive inhibitory control improvement in both congruent (1st −20.5% vs 3rd group −18.4% and 2nd −11.5% vs 4th group −9.6%, all ps ≤ 0.05) and incongruent (1st group −19.1% vs 3rd group −12.5% and 2nd group −11.4% vs 4th group −6.5%, all ps ≤ 0.001) trials. The 1-year follow-up test showed no differences in the tennis technique, clinical reaction time and cognitive inhibitory control improvement between groups with the same number of trainings per week. The findings support exergaming as an additional training tool, aimed to improve important cognitive-motor tennis skills by adding dynamics to the standardized training process. Caution should be placed to planning this training, e.g., in a mesocycle, since exergaming might decrease the improvement of specific tennis technique parts of the trainees. (ClinicalTrials.gov; ID: NCT03946436).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2021

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“…Among the few studies that have examined the ramifications of digital game play for cognitive development during middle childhood or adolescence (see Blumberg & Fisch, ; Calvert, ), findings have shown enhanced executive functioning (Best, ; Flynn & Richert, ; Flynn, Richert, Staiano, Wartella, & Calvert, ; Staiano, Abraham, & Calvert, ), metacognition (VanDeventer & White, ), mental rotation skills (De Lisi & Wolford, ; Quaiser‐Pohl, Geiser, & Lehmann, ), basic mathematical understanding (Deater‐Deckard, El Mallah, Chang, Evans, & Norton, ; Fisch, Lesh, Motoki, Crespo, & Melfi, ), and problem‐solving ability more generally (Blumberg & Randall, ; Greenfield et al., ). Further, it is increasingly recognized that games may enhance some of the core cognitive abilities, such as selective attention, that underlie the ability to acquire academic content or skills (Franceschini et al., )—a process that has been dubbed “learning to learn” (Bavelier, Green, Pouget, & Schrater, ).…”

Section: Media Use During Middle Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A relatively recent body of work has attested to the beneficial effects of “exergame” play (i.e., games that involve exercise and other forms of physical activity) on children and adolescents’ executive functions (EF) after a short play session (Best, ; Flynn & Richert, ) and over time (Staiano et al., ). In a correlational study, Flynn et al.…”

Section: Media Use During Middle Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(A similar conclusion regarding the key role of aerobic activity has been offered regarding exercise and cognitive benefits in old age; Kramer & Colcombe, ). Flynn and Richert () tested this hypothesis by manipulating the level of physical activity and cognitive engagement over four conditions: exergame play, sedentary video game play, exercise, and a nonplaying control. They found that 7‐ to 12‐year‐old children in the two video game conditions showed improvements in EF more so than those in the other two conditions.…”

Section: Media Use During Middle Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A relatively recent body of work has attested to the beneficial effects of "exergame" play (i.e., games that involve exercise and other forms of physical activity) on children and adolescents' executive functions (EF) after a short play session (Best, 2012;Flynn & Richert, 2018) and over time (Staiano et al, 2012). In a correlational study, Flynn et al (2014) found that individual difference factors were related to changes in EF, whereby higher levels of exergame performance were associated with greater changes in EF.…”

Section: Media Use During Middle Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Digital Games as a Context for Children's Cognitive Development: Research Recommendations and Policy Considerations

Blumberg

Deater‐Deckard

Calvert

et al. 2019

Social Policy Report

Self Cite

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We document the need to examine digital game play and app use as a context for cognitive development, particularly during middle childhood. We highlight this developmental period as 6‐ through 12‐year olds comprise a large swath of the preadult population that plays and uses these media forms. Surprisingly, this age range remains understudied with regard to the impact of their interactive media use as compared to young children and adolescents. This gap in knowledge about middle childhood may reflect strong and widely held concerns about the effects of digital games and apps before and after this period. These concerns include concurrent and subsequent influences of game use on very young children's and adolescents’ cognitive and socioemotional functioning. We highlight here what is currently known about the impact of media on young children and adolescents and what is not known about this impact in middle childhood. We then offer recommendations for the types of research that developmental scientists can undertake to examine the efficacy of digital games within the rapidly changing media ecology in which children live. We conclude with a discussion of media policies that we believe can help children benefit from their media use. Our hope is that this review will foster greater investigation of the cognitive socialization, as raised over 20 years ago by developmental psychologist and early games researcher Patricia Greenfield, that digital games serve during the middle childhood period, and childhood more generally.

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Video Game Playing Enhances Young Children’s Inhibitory Control

Liu

Liao

Dou

2019

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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Cognitive, not physical, engagement in video gaming influences executive functioning

Cited by 35 publications

References 29 publications

Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Additional Exergames to Regular Tennis Training Improves Cognitive-Motor Functions of Children but May Temporarily Affect Tennis Technique: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Digital Games as a Context for Children's Cognitive Development: Research Recommendations and Policy Considerations

Video Game Playing Enhances Young Children’s Inhibitory Control

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