Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Many parents are often concerned about the negative effects if their children play video games too often, ranging from mental and physical health, to social problems.
But apparently, a new study in the United States, published in the JAMA Network Open on Oct.24, suggests there are cognitive benefits associated with gambling.
The study’s lead author, Bader Chaarani, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont, said he was naturally drawn to the subject as a neuroimaging player.
The study was limited by the relatively small number of participants, particularly those involving brain imaging.
Chaarani and colleagues told AFP they analyzed data from the large and ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), funded by the National Institutes of Health.
They looked at the survey responses, cognitive test results and brain images of some 2,000 children aged 9 to 10, who were separated into two groups: those who never played and those who played three. or several hours a day.
Each group is assessed on two tasks. The first is to see arrows pointing left or right, children are asked to press left or right as quickly as possible.
In a second activity, the children were shown people’s faces and then asked whether or not the next image displayed later matched the working memory test.
After using statistical methods to control variables that could affect outcomes, such as parental income, IQ, and mental health symptoms, the team found that video game players consistently performed better in both activities.
While performing the task, the children’s brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Gamers’ brains showed more activity in areas related to attention and memory.
“The findings raise the exciting possibility that video games can provide a cognitive training experience with measurable neurocognitive effects,” the authors conclude in their paper.
It is currently unknown whether the best cognitive performance is affected by the amount of play.
The team hopes to get clearer answers when they further research and examine the same older children.
The research will also help rule out other potential play factors such as children’s home environment, sports activities and sleep quality.
Future studies could also benefit from knowing what genres of games children play, although by the age of 10, children tend to prefer action games like Fortnite or Assassin’s Creed.
“Of course, excessive use of screen time is detrimental to mental health and physical activity in general,” says Chaarani.
But he said the findings suggest video games may be better than watching YouTube videos, which have no visible cognitive effects.
(Roy / Roy)
