| You may be thinking about innovative ways to | | | | Answer: Certainly one of the most notable |
| maintain your brain in top shape in 2009. Two | | | | between our two studies was the age of the |
| recent scientific studies published by Dr. Arthur | | | | study participants - with young adults serving as |
| Kramer and colleagues suggest an intriguing | | | | subjects in the Acta Psychologica paper and older |
| possibility: playing strategy video games. Especially | | | | adults serving as subjects in the Psychology |
| if you are 60-years-old or over. | | | | & Aging study. We observed training benefits |
| The two studies are: | | | | for the older but not for the younger adults. |
| 1) Basak C, et al "Can training in a real-time | | | | There are several reasons why this might have |
| strategy video gameattenuate cognitive decline in | | | | been the case. First, older adults perform more |
| older adults?" Psychol Aging 2008; DOI: 10.1037 | | | | poorly on the target abilities that we were trying |
| a0013494. | | | | to train - that is executive control processes - |
| 2) Boot, W. R., Kramer, A. F., Simons, D. J., Fabiani, | | | | than younger adults. So it might be the case that |
| M. & Gratton, G. (2008) The effects of video | | | | video game training benefits are more readily |
| game playing on attention, memory, and | | | | observed for cognitive processes that are |
| executive control. Acta Psychologica, 129, | | | | somewhat degraded. Second, while it is quite easy |
| 387-398. | | | | to find older adults who have never played video |
| Let's first review the first study, a landmark | | | | games (and especially strategy-based games like |
| experiment in that it showed wide and significant | | | | Rise Of Nations) it is very difficult to find |
| cognitive benefits in adults over 60 years old who | | | | completely naïve younger adults (although the |
| played a strategy videogame (Rise of Nations) for | | | | younger adults subjects in our study did play |
| 23 hours. | | | | video games less than 1 hour per week). So it is |
| A team at the University of Illinois recruited 40 | | | | conceivable that video game training based gains |
| adults over 60 years old, half of whom were | | | | might be more readily observed the less |
| asked to play a computer game called Rise of | | | | experience that someone has with video games. |
| Nations, a role-playing game in which you have to | | | | These seem to be the most likely reasons for |
| build your own empire: game players have to build | | | | the different effects in the two studies. |
| cities, feed and employ their people, maintain an | | | | Question: What is the main implication from both |
| adequate military and expand their territory. | | | | studies combined/ what do we know today that |
| Both the experiment and the control groups were | | | | we didn't know 3 months ago? |
| assessed before, during and after the video game | | | | Answer: First, I think that our results suggest |
| training on a variety of tests, and the "gamers" | | | | promise with regard to video game playing and |
| became significantly better - and faster - at | | | | older adults cognition. However, given, to my |
| switching between tasks as compared to the | | | | knowledge, this is the first attempt to improve |
| comparison group. Their working memory, as | | | | executive control abilities of older adults via |
| reflected in the tests, was also significantly | | | | strategy-based video game playing certainly |
| improved and their reasoning ability was enhanced. | | | | additional studies should be conducted to further |
| Really remarkable results. | | | | explore this relationship, particularly with real-world |
| The second study, in contrast, found no | | | | tasks as transfer tasks. Second, the results of |
| comparable cognitive benefits for college students | | | | our study with younger adults suggest that |
| in their early 20s who played the same game for | | | | caution is in order with regard to assuming that |
| the same number of hours, regardless of | | | | video game training will enhancing, perceptual, |
| whether they play videogames often or don't. | | | | attentional and cognitive abilities of young people. |
| How come this contrast? | | | | Clearly, there are important boundary conditions |
| In order to better understand this, I contacted Dr. | | | | of such relationships that we don't yet know. |
| Arthur Kramer, one of the scientists involved in | | | | In short, your brain needs Novelty and Challenge |
| both studies, to ask a few questions. | | | | at all ages. And a videogame such as Rise of |
| Question: What may, in your view, explain the | | | | Nations may provide that Novelty and Challenge |
| different effect of the videogame Rise of Nations | | | | especially if you are an adult who is not playing |
| on non-gamers, contrasting both studies? | | | | videogames already. |