To what extent does technology have a positive effect on cognitive processes?

Digital technology

electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data

Cognitive flexibility

the ability to switch between cognitive tasks and to "think on their feet" when solving problems.

Participants (Glass et al.)

72 female undergraduate volunteers who regularly played video games for less than two hours a week on average.

Memory

A cognitive process with different memory stores where information flows between different parts of the system. It allows for material to be stored and retrieved over time.

Procedure (Glass et al)

At the beginning of the study, the researchers measured the volunteers' cognitive flexibility - that is, their ability to switch between cognitive tasks and to "think on their feet" when solving problems. The participants were then asked to play video games for 40 hours over an eight week period - either a fast-paced game that required strategic thinking (StarCraft), or a simulation game (The Sims).

Results (Glass et al)

At the end of the eight weeks, the results showed that those who had played StarCraft had shown greater improvement in cognitive flexibility.

Participants (Kuhn et al)

Fifty, healthy young adults who played little to no video games in the last 6 months were randomly assigned to either a video game training group or control group.

Studies

Kuhn et al (2013) Glass et al (2013)

Results (Kuhn et al.)

The MRIs revealed that the volume of grey matter in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum had increased and was, on average, larger in the gaming group than in the controls.

Procedure (Kuhn et al)

The participants in the video game training group were instructed to play "Super Mario 64 DS" for at least 30 minutes per day over a period of 2 months. Those in the no-contact control group had no task in particular but underwent the same scanning procedure as the TG. All participants completed an fMRI scan at the beginning of the study and 2 months after training or a passive delay phase. The MRI scans of the video game training group were then compared to those of the control group.

Limitation (Kuhn et al)

The sample size was small. In order to trust these findings, the study would need to be replicated and obtain similar results.

Limitations (Glass et al.)

The study was not longitudinal. The participants' level of cognitive flexibility was measured at the end of the study, but not after a later period so it is unknown whether the effects are long-term.

Strength (Kuhn et al)

These findings seem to lend biological support to some of the studies above.

Aim (Kuhn et al)

To determine the effects of prolonged video game playing on the brains of young adults.

Aim (Glass et al.)

To investigate whether playing a fast-paced video game can improve strategic thinking.

Strength (Glass et al)

Using two different games allows for a comparison.