RESUMO
The worldwide popularity of playing practices has led to a growing research interest in games' impact on behavior and cognition. Many studies have already reported the benefits of both video games and board games for cognitive functions. However, these studies have mainly defined the term players according to a minimum play time or in connection to a specific game genre. No study has confronted the cognitive implications of video games and board games in the same statistical model. Thus, it remains unclear whether the cognitive benefits of play are due to play time or game type. To address this issue, in this study, we conducted an online experiment in which 496 participants completed six cognitive tests and a playing practice questionnaire. We examined the between the participants' overall video game and board game play times and cognitive abilities. The results demonstrated significant relations between overall play time and all cognitive functions. Importantly, video games significantly predicted mental flexibility, planning, visual working memory, visuospatial processing, fluid intelligence, and verbal working memory performance, while board games were not found to predict any cognitive performance. These findings suggest that video games affect cognitive functions in specific ways compared to board games. We encourage further investigation to consider players' individual differences through their play time and the specific features of the games they play.
Assuntos
Cognição , Jogos de Vídeo , Humanos , Memória de Curto Prazo , Jogos de Vídeo/psicologia , Aptidão , InteligênciaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Episodic memory is the memory system which is most affected by ageing. However, similar memory decline is not seen in all older adults. Various cognitive reserve factors, such as the Openness Personality Trait and level of educational attainment, and cognitive resources linked to these factors, such as executive control and crystallised knowledge, can predict older adults' memory performance. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the link between and the role of these variables in older adults' memory performances according to the difficulty of the task. METHODS: Forty participants (aged between 60 and 82) learned 24 paired words with two encoding conditions (reading and generation), and then performed a cued recall. They were asked for their level of educational attainment, and their openness, executive control and crystallised knowledge levels were respectively measured using a personality questionnaire (Big Five), an inhibition test (Stroop) and a vocabulary test (Mill Hill). RESULTS: Only crystallised knowledge predicts older adults' recall of generated words while openness and executive control predict and mediate the effect of level of education on older adults' recall of read words. CONCLUSION: Openness is a reserve factor and is an essential component, along with executive control, in difficult memory tasks.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Episodic memory is the most affected memory system in aging. However, memory decline is not similar in every older adult. Various cognitive reserve factors, as Openness personality trait or educational level, and cognitive resources linked to these factors, as executive control and crystallized knowledge, can predict older adults' memory performance. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the link between and the role of these variables in older adults' memory performances according to the task difficulty. METHODS: Forty participants (60-82 years old) learned 24 paired words with two encoding conditions (reading and generation) and then performed a cued recall. Their educational level was asked, and their Openness, executive control and crystallized knowledge levels were respectively measured using a personality questionnaire (Big Five), an inhibition test (Stroop) and a vocabulary test (Mill Hill). RESULTS: Only crystallized knowledge predicts older adults' generated words recall while Openness and executive control predict and mediate educational level effect on older adults' read words recall. CONCLUSION: Openness is a reserve factor and is an essential component, along with executive control, in difficult memory tasks.
Assuntos
Reserva Cognitiva , Memória Episódica , Idoso , Envelhecimento , Função Executiva , Humanos , Rememoração MentalRESUMO
Workshops using arts and board games are forms of non-pharmacological intervention widely employed in seniors with neurocognitive disorders. However, clear guidelines on how to conduct these workshops are missing. The objective of the Art and Game project (AGAP) was to draft recommendations on the structure and content of workshops for elderly people with neurocognitive disorders and healthy seniors, with a particular focus on remote/hybrid workshops, in which at least a part of the participants is connected remotely. Recommendations were gathered using a Delphi methodology. The expert panel (N = 18) included experts in the health, art and/or board games domains. They answered questions via two rounds of web-surveys, and then discussed the results in a plenary meeting. Some of the questions were also shared with the general public (N = 101). Both the experts and the general public suggested that organizing workshops in a hybrid format (some face-to-face sessions, some virtual session) is feasible and interesting for people with neurocognitive disorders. We reported guidelines on the overall structure of workshops, practical tips on how to organize remote workshops, and a SWOT analysis of the use of remote/hybrid workshops. The guidelines may be employed by clinicians to decide, based on their needs and constraints, what interventions and what kind of workshop format to employ, as well as by researcher to standardize procedures to assess the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments for people with neurocognitive disorders.
