Playing a puzzle video game with changing requirements improves executive functions

Oei, Adam; Patterson, Michael D.

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.046

Cited by 67 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Such empirical evidence highlights the relative difficulty of reducing switch costs, particularly with short periods of training; this might account for the mixed results documented in some cross-sectional and longitudinal video game studies. For instance, Oei and Patterson (2014) found that, after 20 hours of training, reductions in switch costs were observed in only one out of four video-game training conditions. Similarly, Boot, Kramer, Simons, Fabiani, and Gratton (2008) failed to find evidence for reduced switch costs after approximately 21 hours of training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age matters: The effect of onset age of video game play on task-switching abilities

Hartanto

Toh

Yang

2016

Atten Percept Psychophys

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Although prior research suggests that playing video games can improve cognitive abilities, recent empirical studies cast doubt on such findings (Unsworth et al., 2015). To reconcile these inconsistent findings, we focused on the link between video games and task switching. Furthermore, we conceptualized video-game expertise as the onset age of active video-game play rather than the frequency of recent gameplay, as it captures both how long a person has played video games and whether the individual began playing during periods of high cognitive plasticity. We found that the age of active onset better predicted switch and mixing costs than did frequency of recent gameplay; specifically, players who commenced playing video games at an earlier age reaped greater benefits in terms of task switching than did those who started at a later age. Moreover, improving switch costs required a more extensive period of video-game experience than did mixing costs; this finding suggests that certain cognitive abilities benefit from different amounts of video game experience.Keywords Task switching . Video game . Onset age of active video game play . Switch costs . Mixing costs . Executive functions Video games are a ubiquitous entertainment medium, with an estimated 40 % of adults and 83 % of teenagers in the United States playing them regularly (Williams, Yee, & Caplan, 2008). Video games often present players with challenging situations that necessitate strategic monitoring, coordination of multiple task demands, and goal prioritization. For instance, first-person shooter games require players to tactically navigate a three-dimensional environment while eliminating multiple enemy targets that appear at random. Similarly, realtime strategy games typically immerse players in war-like scenarios requiring simultaneous management of several tasks, such as constructing edifices and deploying combat units to secure areas of a map or to invade and destroy opponents' territories and units. Success in such games requires continual tracking of various goals and the ability to shift flexibly from one task to another in the face of changing environmental demands. Therefore, an interesting question arises as to whether extensive video-game experience could facilitate task-switching performance (e.g., Cain, Landau, & Shimamura, 2012;Green, Sugarman, Medford, Klobusicky, & Bavelier, 2012).Task switching is the ability to shift back and forth between multiple tasks or mental sets (Monsell, 2003). The efficiency of task switching can be empirically measured using taskswitching paradigms, which yield two performance indicators: switch costs and mixing costs (Rubin & Meiran, 2005). Switch costs refer to the slower responses observed in taskswitch trials than in task-repeat trials, whereas mixing costs refer to the slower responses in task-repeat trials in mixed-task blocks than in task-repeat trials in pure blocks (Rubin & Meiran). These two costs reflect distinct control mechanisms in task-switching performance: namely, switch costs are...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age matters: The effect of onset age of video game play on task-switching abilities

Hartanto

Toh

Yang

2016

Atten Percept Psychophys

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“…In doing so, the use of the video content on the tablet has the potential to affect the participant self-efficacy and motivation to learn. We draw potential relationships between using video content and enhanced cognitive absorption, based on the existing findings from video-based enhancing attentional abilities (Oei & Patterson, 2014). A higher order of attentional abilities enables higher order cognition such as planning and strategizing as well as keeping multiple items in working memory, which is reported as a critical factor enhancing general learning mechanism (Green & Bavelier, 2007).…”

Section: Content Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile collaborative learning: The role of individual learning in groups through text and video content delivery in tablets

Reychav

2015

Computers in Human Behavior

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“…Recent game research suggests a causal link between video game play, enhanced attention, and visual-perceptual skills [8]. Physicsbased games (e.g., Angry Birds or Cut the Rope) employ a simulation of physics to add to the realism of the game play.…”

Section: Physics-based Gamementioning

confidence: 99%

Physics-based gaming

Moser

Tscheligi

2015

Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children

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Physics-based games, like Cut the Rope, have become very popular and are now available on different operating systems with different input modalities. In a user study with 20 children aged 11 to 14 years, we investigated the differences in player experience when playing Cut the Rope on the tablet with touch gestures and on the computer with mid-air gestures using a Leap Motion. The quantitative data from the questionnaire revealed no substantial differences regarding the player experience, which might be due to the novelty effect of the Leap Motion mid-air gestures. However, the observations indicated several problems of accuracy and orientation when playing the game with mid-air gestures. This is due to the lack of hardware-based physical feedback when interacting with the Leap Motion and results in a different affordance that has to be considered in future physicsbased game design using mid-air gestures.

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Playing a puzzle video game with changing requirements improves executive functions

Cited by 67 publications

References 91 publications

Age matters: The effect of onset age of video game play on task-switching abilities

Age matters: The effect of onset age of video game play on task-switching abilities

Mobile collaborative learning: The role of individual learning in groups through text and video content delivery in tablets

Physics-based gaming

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