Rabat – Contrary to popular opinion, video games could be linked to enhanced cognitive abilities for children, a new study suggests.
The study found that three hours a day of computer gaming improves a range of cognitive skills including those relating to impulse control and working memory.
Funded by the US National Institute of Health, the study was conducted on nearly 2,000 children. After a series of tests measuring cognitive abilities, researchers concluded that children who played three hours of computer games every day performed better than those who had never played video games.
After dividing the 2,000 children aged nine and 10 into two groups based on whether or not they play video games, they concluded that gamers performed the tasks in a shorter period of time and scored higher than the control group.
In addition, brain imagery showed that the brains of game players had higher levels of activity in the regions where attention and memory processing occurs.
Researchers believe the differences are the direct result of gamers’ practice of tasks that trigger impulse control and memory while gaming.
“This study adds to our growing understanding of the associations between playing video games and brain development,” Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Nora Volkow said in a statement reported by Euronews.
“Numerous studies have linked video gaming to behavior and mental health problems. This study suggests that there may also be cognitive benefits associated with this popular pastime, which are worthy of further investigation,” she added.
Despite the conclusive evidence, researchers from the study assert that this study should not be interpreted as establishing a causality relationship between gaming and enhanced cognitive skills; it is possible that children with better cognitive skills tend to opt for playing video games.
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