September 25, 2008
So does Brain Age really make you smarter?
According to Scottish researchers, it can. Testing 600 pupils across 32 schools, the study found that participants who played Brain Age for 20 minutes at the beginning of class both improved their scores and reduced the time to take the test over the control group.
Read more on the BBC news site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7635404.stm
In depth details of the study, including setup, outcomes, evaluations, and teacher reactions, can be found on Learning and Training Scotland's website:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/ictineducation/gamesbasedlearning/sharingpractice/braintraining/introduction.asp
Posted by undergrad at 8:03 PM | TrackBack
September 18, 2008
New Pew Internet Survey on Gaming Released
On Tuesday, September 16th, the Pew Research Center released its latest study on video games, specifically examining "the relationship between games and civic outcomes."
From the report summary:
"This survey provides the first nationally representative study of teen video game play and of teen video gaming and civic engagement. The survey looks at which teens are playing games, the games and equipment they are using, the social context of their play, and the role of parents and parental monitoring. Though arguments have been made about the civic potential of video gaming, this is the first large-scale study to examine the relationship between specific gaming experiences and teens' civic activities and commitments."
The report includes gender and age differences in gaming behavior, preferences for types of games and specific game titles, as well as frequency of game play. In terms of relation to civic outcomes, "This study found that the quantity of game play is not strongly or consistently related to most civic outcomes, but that some particular qualities of game play have a strong and consistent positive relationship to a range of civic outcomes."
The full report is available in pdf format on the Pew site.
