%0 Journal Article %1 boot09 %A Boot, Walter R. %A Kramer, Arthur F. %A Simons, Daniel J. %A Fabiani, Monica %A Gratton, Gabriele %D 2008 %J Acta Psychologica %K attention cognition cognitive control game games haifa-games-course learning memory video %N 3 %P 387-398 %T The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control %U https://www.psych.uiuc.edu/reprints/index.php?site_id=1 %V 129 %X Video game players outperform non-players on measures of basic attention and performance. Differences might result from exposure to video games or reflect other group differences. Research has suggested a causal link between video game experience and improved attentional skills (e.g., Green & Bavelier, 2003). We sought to replicate and extend these results. Expert/non-gamer performance was assessed on tasks tapping a wide range of abilities. Non- gamers played 20+ hours of an action video game, a puzzle game, or a real-time strategy game. Expert gamers and non-gamers differed on a number of basic cognitive skills: experts could track objects moving at greater speeds, better detected changes to objects stored in visual short-term memory, switched more quickly between tasks, and mentally rotated objects more efficiently. Strikingly, extensive video game practice did not substantially enhance performance for non- gamers on most cognitive tasks (except for a mental rotation task). Our results suggest that at least some differences between video game experts and non-gamers in basic cognitive performance result either from far more extensive video game experience or from pre-existing group differences in abilities that result in a self-selection effect.

@article{boot09, abstract = {Video game players outperform non-players on measures of basic attention and performance. Differences might result from exposure to video games or reflect other group differences. Research has suggested a causal link between video game experience and improved attentional skills (e.g., Green & Bavelier, 2003). We sought to replicate and extend these results. Expert/non-gamer performance was assessed on tasks tapping a wide range of abilities. Non- gamers played 20+ hours of an action video game, a puzzle game, or a real-time strategy game. Expert gamers and non-gamers differed on a number of basic cognitive skills: experts could track objects moving at greater speeds, better detected changes to objects stored in visual short-term memory, switched more quickly between tasks, and mentally rotated objects more efficiently. Strikingly, extensive video game practice did not substantially enhance performance for non- gamers on most cognitive tasks (except for a mental rotation task). Our results suggest that at least some differences between video game experts and non-gamers in basic cognitive performance result either from far more extensive video game experience or from pre-existing group differences in abilities that result in a self-selection effect. }, added-at = {2010-08-12T15:39:13.000+0200}, author = {Boot, Walter R. and Kramer, Arthur F. and Simons, Daniel J. and Fabiani, Monica and Gratton, Gabriele}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/272969164993705987cdd67b2191da40d/yish}, interhash = {1c60b60636ecfa6f2327a6b828b2d028}, intrahash = {72969164993705987cdd67b2191da40d}, journal = { Acta Psychologica}, keywords = {attention cognition cognitive control game games haifa-games-course learning memory video}, number = 3, pages = {387-398}, timestamp = {2010-08-14T13:41:50.000+0200}, title = {The effects of video game playing on attention, memory, and executive control}, url = {https://www.psych.uiuc.edu/reprints/index.php?site_id=1}, volume = 129, year = 2008 }