Running head: VIDEO GAMES AND COGNITION
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Video Games Impact Cognitive Functioning of Adolescents
Rachel Duncan
University of North Florida
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ABSTRACT
Video games have become increasingly popular among adolescents over the past decade. The
amount of time spent playing video games has also increased over time, and the use of this form
of media positively impacts cognitive functioning of its users. While previous research has
supported the cognitive impacts on young adults and the elderly, the impact on children and
adolescents remains less clear. Video game use is linked to a number of practical enhancements
including increased spatial intelligence and inductive reasoning. The cognitive abilities
associated with video game use may ultimately impact adolescents’ academic performance.
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Video Games Impact Cognitive Functioning of Adolescents
According to a study by Granic, Lobel & Engels (2014), “video games are a ubiquitous part
of almost all children’s and adolescents’ lives, with 97% playing for at least one hour a day in the
United States.” Video games can offer opportunities for children and adolescents to improve a
variety of cognitive skills as it provides a different type of learning with players using
problem-solving skills “through trial and error, recursively collecting evidence which they test
through experimentation.” It is important to understand the effects of video games due to the
prevalent use by children and adolescents.
A number of studies have examined the effects of video games on cognition, but the majority
of these studies focused on adults instead of adolescents and children. The studies that do focus
on adolescents have conflicting conclusions on the cognitive impacts of gaming. For example,
Anand (2007) found a “negative correlation between video game usage and GPA; as video game
usage increases, GPA decreases.” However, another study examining the existing research on the
made references to studies that linked frequent video game play with “enhancements in inductive
reasoning, mental rotation and spatial visualization, spatial distribution of attention and visual
selective attention, and memory.” This study also commented on the general lack of research on
the effects of video games on adolescents, highlighting the need for additional data (Blumber,
Altschuler, Almonte & Mileaf, 2013, p. 42).
Some of the existing studies on the effects of adolescent video game use found a link
between gaming and positive behavioral traits and cognitive skills. Blumber, Altschuler, Almonte
& Mileaf (2013) reference a study by VanDeventer and White (2002), where 10 and 11-year old
game players were categorized by playing skill, with more highly skilled players showing
“evidence of planning, metacognition, awareness of how to circumvent obstacles, and
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opportunities to advance in the game” when the players were instructed to teach “inexperienced
adults to play Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World.” A study by Kühn et al. (2014) found a
“robust positive association between cortical thickness and video gaming duration was observed
in left dorsolateral prefrontal thickness.” The study points to “previously reported cognitive
improvements due to video game play” when assessing the results of the data.
Additionally, a study by Drummond & Sauer (2014) analyzed existing data on video game
use and academic performance. This study found that video game use ultimately had “little
impact on adolescent achievement.” It argued that there was no significant correlation between
the frequency of game play and poor academic performance. A study by Skoric, Teo & Neo
(2009) supports these findings as the research found no relationship between “time spent playing
video games or for video game engagement,” when measuring scholastic performance of 8 to
12-year olds.
While many studies point to positive implications, a few studies discuss detrimental effects
of video games on cognition and academic performance. A study by Anand (2007), for instance,
found a negative correlation between the frequency of video game play and GPA of high school
students.
Though there are some studies on the effects of cognition on children and adolescents, few
take genre into account when assessing cognitive effects. According to Blumber, Altschuler,
Almonte & Mileaf (2013), a study by Fisch, Lesh, Motoki, Crespo and Melfi (2011) found that
elementary students experienced increases in math related reasoning and strategizing after
playing games that emphasized those skills. In addition, it references a study by Okagaki and
Frensch (1994) and another by Lisi and Wolfford (2002) which found improvements in
adolescent’s spatial visualization abilities after playing Tetris. The analysis also referenced a
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study where 5th grade students showed improvements in spatial ability after playing Marble
Madness. Interestingly, “the greatest improvements in spatial skills was found among those
children who played Marble Madness and had showed relatively weak skills before playing.”
A study by Adachi (2013) found that self-reported problem solving skills increased over time
when students played video games involving strategic skills like roleplaying and strategy games.
According to this study the use of strategy games has an indirect relationship with academic
performance because higher self-reported problem solving skills “predict higher academic
grades.”
It is also important to consider potential differences between genders and children from
different socioeconomic backgrounds in order to have a full understanding of the implications of
video game use. A study by Hamlen (2011) focused on the types of strategies used by
adolescents during game play. For example, girls used tactics like observation, exploration and
innovation more often during game play than boys. The study also found a difference in the types
of strategies used girls and boys depending on the type of game played. Specifically,
”When playing action and educational games, boys were more likely than girls to use a repetition
strategy. However, wen playing adventure and simulation games, boys were more likely than
girls to use a role-playing strategy (i.e., imagine oneself in the game and what one would do in
the situation) (Blumber, Altschuler, Almonte & Mileaf, 2014, p. 44).
A large majority of children and adolescents play video games daily in the United States, so
it’s important to understand exactly ho video game use impacts cognitive development and
academic performance in children. The majority of available research found positive impacts of
video games on cognitive skills and academic performance. However, additional research is
needed to better understand the impacts of specific genres on various cognitive skills like spatial
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visualization, vocabulary, memory and inductive reasoning. A more comprehensive
understanding of the effects of specific genres on cognitive skills can present a number of
benefits for students, teachers and game creators alike.
Hypothesis 1:
Adolescents who frequently play video games will experience increased
cognitive functioning in varied forms, such as improved spatial awareness and vocabulary,
depending upon the type of games played.
Hypothesis 2:
Video games require the use of different types of skills depending on
the game, such as inductive reasoning and memory, so games have varied effects on
adolescent cognitive function
METHOD
Participants
Participants include 450 elementary and middle school students residing in Jacksonville and
Orlando, Fl . The participants range in age from 5 - 15 years. The sample is divided into equal
segments by grade (K-8) with 50 participants per grade level. Additionally, the sample will
include responses from various socioeconomic segments, with equal numbers of male and female
participants. A random selection of 10 students from each grade will act as control subjects for
the study.
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Measures
The study measures the effects of different video game genres on cognitive skills like spatial
visualization, memory, inductive reasoning and vocabulary. Students will play five genres of
video games over five weeks with weekly tests of the aforementioned skills. The genres include
puzzle, roleplaying, strategy, racing, and educational games. A control group will participate in
testing but will not play the selected games each week.
Procedure
With parent permission to participate, students from different schools will take part in the
study. Students take a preliminary test measuring various skill sets (Appendix A). Students then
play 30 minutes of one of the five types of games each day for a week. At the end of each week,
students retake the test and scores are compared to the preliminary measurement. The control
participants will not play the selected video games but will take the preliminary test and each
weekly test to determine whether class lessons or outside factors may influence the results.
Testing will include multiple choice questions for inductive reasoning, vocabulary, spatial
visualization and reading comprehension. Memory will measured by performance on sequence
memorization games like Simon.
References
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Adachi, P. p., & Willoughby, T. (2013). More Than Just Fun and Games: The Longitudinal
Relationships Between Strategic Video Games, Self-Reported Problem Solving Skills, and
Academic Grades. Journal Of Youth & Adolescence, 42(7), 1041-1052.
Anand, V. (2007). A Study of Time Management: The Correlation between Video Game Usage
and Academic Performance Markers. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 552-559.
doi:10.1089/cpb.2007.9991
Blumberg, F. C., Altschuler, E. A., Almonte, D. E., & Mileaf, M. I. (2013). The Impact of
Recreational Video Game Play on Children's and Adolescents' Cognition. New Directions
For Child & Adolescent Development, 2013(139), 41-50. doi:10.1002/cad.20030
Drummond, A., & Sauer, J. D. (2014). Video-Games Do Not Negatively Impact Adolescent
Academic Performance in Science, Mathematics or Reading. Plos ONE, 9(4), 1-5.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087943
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American
Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78. doi:10.1037/a0034857
Hamlen, K. R. (2014). Video Game Strategies as Predictors of Academic Achievement. Journal
Of Educational Computing Research, 50(2), 271-284. doi:10.2190/EC.50.2.g
Kühn, S., Lorenz, R., Banaschewski, T., Barker, G. J., Büchel, C., Conrod, P. J., & ... Heinz, A.
(2014). Positive Association of Video Game Playing with Left Frontal Cortical Thickness in
Adolescents. Plos ONE, 9(3), 1-6. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091506
Skoric, M. M., Teo, L. C., & Neo, R. L. (2009). Children and Video Games: Addiction,
Engagement, and Scholastic Achievement. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(5), 567-572.
doi:10.1089/cpb.2009.007
Appendix A
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Sample Questions:
1. Which comes next in the following sequence?
AA L CCC
MM
EEEE....
a. NN
b. NNN
c. FFF
d. O
2. What are the 6th and 7th terms in the following sequence?
1, 3, 6, 10...
a. 17, 23
b. 13, 18
c. 15, 21
d. 14, 20
3. What does it mean to eradicate something?
a. send it out from one focal point
b. illuminate it
c. deeply root it
d. destroy it completely
4. A lyre was played in ancient Rome.The lyre is a....
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VIDEO GAMES AND COGNITION
a. stringed instrument in the harp class
b. percussion instrument
c. wind instrument
d. rhythmical percussion device
5. Which comes next in the following sequence?
6. If you folded the flattened cut out, which shape would it make?
7. If you folded the flattened cut out, which shape would it make?
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