Study Finds Playing Multitasking Games Improves Cognition

roseofbattle

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Apr 18, 2011
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Study Finds Playing Multitasking Games Improves Cognition


Get off my case, Mom, I'm improving my brain functions by playing this game.

Neuroscientists at the University of Carolina recently finished the latest study in findings on multitasking through videogames. They reported that participants in the study who trained by playing Neuroracer, a videogame in which players drive and must identify road signs, performed better on memory and attention tests outside the game for six months.

The researchers monitored the brain waves of participants and found the older adults who played Neuroracer had increases in theta brain waves, which are associated with attention. Comparatively, adults in their 20s regularly have bursts of theta. The study also found that multitasking skills decrease with age. People in their 20s experienced a 26 percent drop when driving and identifying signs in the game as opposed to simply driving, whereas the drop was 64 percent for people in their 60s to 80s. However, other neuroscientists cautioned that many games advertised as "brain games" do not work as advertised.

A previous study showed heavy use of "certain off-the-shelf, intense shooting games" can improve the player's ability to ignore distractions. Daphne Bavelier, leader of that research, said, "We know we can rewire the brain, but the challenge is how to do it properly."

Dr. Adam Gazzaley, leader of the team of neuroscientists at University of Carolina, said the transfer of benefits from inside the game to outside the game was "grabbing," but he also warned that the findings do not suggest that any activity or videogame improves cognition. "There's a big leap between what we did here and the real world," he said.

Source: New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/technology/a-multitasking-video-game-makes-old-brains-act-younger.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0]

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SonOfVoorhees

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Aug 3, 2011
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Of course, how else are you meant to shot multiple people at the same time? ;-)

OT Its not a surprise really as games deal with quick reaction and quick thinking. Its someone did a test on it to prove it correct.
 

MCerberus

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Jun 26, 2013
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This is an interesting catch-22 here... because science has found that multitasking decreases you ability in the future to... multitask.
 

Ruley

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Sep 3, 2010
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Well finally, its been a long time since i've come across such a long term study involving video games (six months). Cudos to them. i hate the immensely short term tests of people being questioned and tested minutes after finishing playing.

OT: Both good and bad news here, good news that hooray! Videogames can be used as a tool to help with improving important brain functions like concentration, this is fantastic news when we are dealing with an aging population - have we found a new way to help them and thus ourselves when we get that old?

Also, something that's been raised before but never really addressed:

The human brain can be reprogrammed ridiculously easily as a form of a survival mechanism, anyone seen the dummy arm trick? (you cover your shoulder with a town and put a dummy arm under the towel, outstretch the fake arm and your real arm and hide your real arm with a screen. then, stroke the same finger on the dummy arm as your real hidden arm in sequence and your brain will see the action being performed on the dummy arm whilst feeling it on your arm. Your brain is tricked into thinking the dummy arm is your own arm! Then, you hit the dummy arm with a mallet and the person gets a shock because the brain sees pain, but doesn't feel it! This is an example of how fast the brain can rewire itself! (minutes, if that))


So what is the effect of regular interaction with videogames? even the same one over a long period of time! Indeed our brains can be programed and re-organized. are videogames playing a part in that today?
 

Strazdas

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May 28, 2011
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Title says "Study Finds Playing Multitasking Games Improves Cognition"
The study says: "but he also warned that the findings do not suggest that any activity or videogame improves cognition"

I am dissapoint.
 

Fdzzaigl

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Mar 31, 2010
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Myeah I dunno, a lot of other studies suggest that the whole multitasking hype should lie down and die already.

In my opinion, it makes sense that if you're doing 5 things or more at the same time, you're never going to do the separate parts as good as when you were devoting your attention to just the one job.

Personally I suck at multitasking and excel at focusing my attention and patience on one single thing. But yeah, having to put up with many tasks at the same time is an (for me) unfortunate sign of the times.