Learning Executive Function Skills by Playing Focused Video Games

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Research on Games Poster Session

Abstract

We examined whether it was possible to design a video game that could improve players’ executive function skill of shifting. College students played a custom video game, Alien Game, which required shifting between rules. When students played for 2 hours over 4 sessions in the lab or 4 hours over 8 sessions at home, they performed significantly better on cognitive shifting tests compared to a group that played a control game (Experiment 1 & 4) and a group that played no game (Experiment 3), but not when they played for 1 hour over 2 sessions (Experiment 2). Results highlight the effectiveness of a game that focuses on improving executive function skills and support the specific transfer of general skills theory.

Authors

• Jocelyn Parong, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Richard E. Mayer, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Andrew MacNamara, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Jan L. Plass, New York University

• Bruce Douglas Homer, City University of New York