Older news items (pre-2010) brought over from the old website
Video games may help visuospatial processing and multitasking
Another study has come out showing that expert video gamers have improved mental rotation skills, visual and spatial memory, and multitasking skills. The researchers conclude that training with video games may serve to reduce gender differences in visual and spatial processing, and some of the cognitive declines that come with aging.
[366] Dye, M. W. G., Green S. C., & Bavelier D.
(2009). Increasing Speed of Processing With Action Video Games.
Current Directions in Psychological Science. 18(6), 321 - 326.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/afps-rsa121709.php
Strategic video game improves critical cognitive skills in older adults
In the first study into the effects of playing video games for adults in their 60s and 70s, it’s been found that playing a strategic video game that rewards nation-building and territorial expansion can have pronounced effects on cognitive skills not directly related to the skills learned in the video game. The finding is also exciting as a rare demonstration of a training program that improves more than simply the task being practiced. The game "Rise of Nations" was selected because of its emphasis on resource management and planning. The researchers hoped it would benefit executive function, which is one of the cognitive functions particularly impacted by age and includes things like scheduling, planning, working memory, multitasking and dealing with ambiguity. Half of the 40 older adults in the study received 23.5 hours of training in the game. As a group, the gamers became significantly better and faster at switching between tasks as compared to the comparison group. Their working memory and their reasoning ability was also significantly improved. To a lesser extent, their short-term memory of visual cues and their ability to identify rotated objects was also improved. Training had no effect on ability to recall a list of words in order, enumeration ability or ability to inhibit certain responses. The amount of improvement was linked to performance on the game.
[813] Basak, C., Boot W. R., Voss M. W., & Kramer A. F.
(2008). Can training in a real-time strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults?.
Psychology and Aging. 23(4), 765 - 777.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/uoia-svg120808.php
Frequent TV viewing during adolescence linked with risk of attention and learning difficulties
A long-running study of 678 families in upstate New York, surveyed children at 14, 16 and 22 years old (averages), and again when the children in the study had reached an average age of 33. At age 14, 225 (33.2%) of the teens reported that they watched three or more hours of television per day. Those who watched 1 or more hours of television per day at mean age 14 years were at higher risk of poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades, and long-term academic failure. Those who watched 3 or more hours of television per day were most likely to experience these outcomes, and moreover were at higher risk of subsequent attention problems and were the least likely to receive postsecondary education. Analysis of the data also indicated that television watching contributes to learning difficulties and not vice versa.
Johnson, J.G., Cohen, P., Kasen, S. & Brook, J.S. 2007. Extensive Television Viewing and the Development of Attention and Learning Difficulties During Adolescence. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 161 (5), 480-486.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/jaaj-ftv050307.php
TV has negative impact on very young children's learning abilities
Analysis of data involving some 1800 children from The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY-Child) compared scores in mathematics, reading recognition and reading comprehension with the level of television watching before age three and from ages three to five. The analysis revealed a consistent pattern of negative associations between television viewing before age three years and adverse cognitive outcomes at ages six and seven years. Television viewing at ages three to five years, on the other hand, had a more beneficial effect, for reading recognition and short-term memory, although not mathematics or reading comprehension.
Another study in the same issue reported on a New Zealand study that compared television viewing in some 1000 people born in 1972-73 with their educational achievements at 26 years of age. The study found mean time spent watching television during childhood and adolescence was significantly associated with leaving school without qualifications and negatively associated with attaining a university degree. Television viewing during childhood (ages 5-11 years) and adolescence (ages 13 and 15 years) had adverse associations with later educational achievement. However, adolescent viewing was a stronger predictor of leaving school without qualifications, whereas childhood viewing was a stronger predictor of nonattainment of a university degree.
Zimmerman, F.J. & Christakis, D.A. 2005. Children’s Television Viewing and Cognitive Outcomes: A Longitudinal Analysis of National Data. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159, 619-625.
Hancox, R.J., Milne, B.J. & Poulton, R. 2005. Association of Television Viewing During Childhood With Poor Educational Achievement. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159, 614-618.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-07/jaaj-thn062905.php
The reports below are taken from my previous blog, and lack references
Effect on the brain
Emotional effect of video games can help creativity
As part of the search for ways to use video games educationally, a study of around 100 students has found that those who scored highly on a creativity test after playing the game Dance Dance Revolution fell into two groups: those who had a high degree of emotional arousal (measured by skin conductance) after playing and a positive mood, and (this is the weird part), those in the completely opposite camp — low arousal and negative mood.
The explanation for these somewhat paradoxical findings rests on there being two aspects to creativity — diffused attention (presumably where the happy people score), and a certain analytical ability (which is where the sad people are presumed to score).
It still seems weird, but the take-home point I guess is that being angry (high arousal, negative mood) is not conducive to creativity, and neither is medium arousal. On the other hand, I’m wondering about individual differences. I think some people probably are creative when angry, and I’d like to know about personality characteristics that might have distinguished the students who were creative when happy from those who were creative when sad. Still, interesting study.
Watching violence begets violence?
There’s lots of argument about whether watching violence on TV and in movies makes people more violent. Some studies have found a correlation, but correlational studies can always be attacked. But now a brain imaging study has found that watching violent movie clips (but not ones with scenes of horror or physical activity) can cause the parts of your brain that suppress behaviors like inappropriate or unwarranted aggression (such as the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and the amygdala) to become less active. Less activation in this network is characteristic of people reporting an above average tendency to behave aggressively.
http://www.physorg.com/news116155534.html
Violent video games leave teenagers emotionally aroused
An imaging study of 44 adolescents playing either a violent or a nonviolent video game for 30 minutes has found that the group that played the violent video game demonstrated less activation in the prefrontal portions of the brain, which are involved in inhibition, concentration and self-control, and more activation in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional arousal.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/rson-vvg112206.php
Violent games desensitize players to violence
In a study in which 257 college students played one of eight randomly assigned violent or non-violent video games for 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute videotape of actual violent episodes taken from TV programs and movies, has found that the real violence produced significantly lower physiological arousal (measured by galvanic skin response and heart rate) in those who had played a violent video game. There was no difference in arousal between the two groups after playing the games, and before seeing the videotape, showing that the effect was to desensitize individuals to real-life violence.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060727162108.htm
Effect on children
Most Middle-school Boys And Many Girls Play Violent Video Games
A survey of over 1200 American middle-school kids (12-14 years) has found that almost all of them, boys and girls both, play video games, and most of them regularly play violent ones. Even girls rated the notorious Grand Theft Auto as the second most popular series (it was the top pick for boys). Boys do play more than girls — a third of the boys played almost every day, compared to only 10% of girls. But on the bright side, the games aren’t as anti-social as commonly portrayed — the kids often play in groups, either in the same room or over the internet, and boys’ friendships often center around games (I have to concur with this — a lot of the bonding between my sons occurs through the playing together and endlessly conversing about, games). The study also found that many children were playing video games to manage their feelings (although it seems to me as an observer that games are great for creating intense frustration in susceptible people!).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070703172538.htm
Effect Of Removing TV, Games Consoles And Computers On Young Children
The BBC filmed 23 7 and 8-year-old children in school, and in some cases at home, over a five-week period, which included two weeks when half of them had their TV sets, PCs and portable game consoles removed or disabled. Even after just two weeks, families found they began to interact more, even to `rediscover' their pleasure in each other's company. Some parents admitted the experiment had shown up how they had allowed themselves to rely too much on on-screen entertainment to keep children amused while they got on with their own business. They also found children tired from an active evening were more liable to go to bed early and wake up refreshed and alert the next day. Although there was no conclusive evidence that the temporary absence of TV and game consoles resulted in changed behaviour in school (it was after all only for 2 weeks), but many of the children showed more enthusiasm for doing homework.
I have to say, my family do a lot of talking, and sometimes go through bursts of card-playing, even though we have a TV, computers, and Playstation — but we only got the TV and Playstation a couple of years ago, when the boys were in their mid-teens (similarly, before that time, computer games were all of the ‘educational’ variety, and time limits imposed). I think the important thing is to keep strict control during the earlier years.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619172711.htm
Watching TV reduces pain, anxiety
Here’s an interesting, and for a mother somewhat worrying, study: 69 7-12 year-old children in hospital were asked to rate their pain when they were stuck with needle to take a blood sample. Those watching TV cartoons reported half the pain as those who were being soothed by their mother, and a third the pain of those who just sat in a hospital room with mothers who didn't try to soothe them. Does this point to the power of TV, or just the limitations of a mother? Other studies have found that the mothers and fathers attempts at comforting often backfire because it makes the children feel that "something must really be bad".
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/548718