Real-Time Strategy Game Training: Emergence of a Cognitive Flexibility Trait

PLoS One

Brian D. Glass¹  W. Todd Maddox²  Bradley C. Love³ 

[1] Biological and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, United Kingdom;Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America;Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America

关键词: Games;    Cognition;    Video games;    Cognitive impairment;    Behavior;    Cognitive psychology;    Memory;    Perception;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.pone.0070350

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Training in action video games can increase the speed of perceptual processing. However, it is unknown whether video-game training can lead to broad-based changes in higher-level competencies such as cognitive flexibility, a core and neurally distributed component of cognition. To determine whether video gaming can enhance cognitive flexibility and, if so, why these changes occur, the current study compares two versions of a real-time strategy (RTS) game. Using a meta-analytic Bayes factor approach, we found that the gaming condition that emphasized maintenance and rapid switching between multiple information and action sources led to a large increase in cognitive flexibility as measured by a wide array of non-video gaming tasks. Theoretically, the results suggest that the distributed brain networks supporting cognitive flexibility can be tuned by engrossing video game experience that stresses maintenance and rapid manipulation of multiple information sources. Practically, these results suggest avenues for increasing cognitive function.

【 授权许可】

CC BY