Studies on Video Games and Cognition are Seriously Flawed, says FSU Psychology Professor

Image by niallkennedy via FlickrMany studies in the past have claimed that video games, such as PC games or Xbox games, improve a player's cognitive abilities. However, a most recent study brings doubts to the veracity or accuracy of the claims. Walter Boot, an assistant professor in Florida State University's Department of Psychology, together with FSU psychology doctoral student Daniel Blakely and University of Illinois collaborator Daniel Simons, is critically reevaluating those claims. He says the methodologies of those studies were fundamentally flawed. It's possible the subjects of the studies already possessed high cognitive abilities, which helped them perform better in those games. He also says the ads for research studies looking for "expert gamers" already gear up the participants to perform at the expected level of expertise. This is not to say video games are bad for your cognitive health, but playing those games should be as a form of entertainment, and not as a method to increase cognition skills.

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