Videogames Cause Short Attention Spans? Not So Much, Say Researchers
Videogames Cause Short Attention Spans? Not So Much, Say Researchers
Posted 07/10/2010 at 12:42am
| by Nathan Grayson
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Remember that study that told you to pull the plug on your kid’s gaming corner if you didn’t want him/her to have the attention span of a dog with its head stuck out a car window? Well, it’s kind of wrong. Or at least, the experimenters in question blew their study way out of proportion and conducted some seriously sloppy research. So say Christopher Ferguson of Texas A&M and T. Atilla Ceranoglu of Harvard Medical School.
First off, the two point out that the study paid next-to-no attention to studies that have found videogames beneficial to attention and cognition. Apparently, it also overlooks "a number of recent studies that contradict their views on the relationship between videogames and aggression." Convenient, no?
Worse still, the study’s measurement system is fatally skewed, only using reports from teachers and completely ignoring outside factors that could contribute to a lacking attention span like home environment, poverty, and parental education.
"All standardized regression coefficients for children in the study are less than .10. This indicates that the overlap in variance between media use and attention is less than 1%. Even taking these findings a face value (setting aside concerns about measures and control variables), these are weak effect sizes without practical significance, effectively no different from zero," Ferguson and Ceranoglu explained.
"In sum, these findings are unable to support the weight that Swing et al. (2010) attempt to place on them, and give no cause for concern to clinicians, educators or parents."
So basically, it sounds like a few researchers wanted to make a splash, but ended up belly-flopping instead. Turns out, the scientific method isn’t composed of a single step that says “tailor your study to give you whatever results you’re looking for,” and the scientific community isn’t composed of blind idiots. So yeah, don’t expect any “This is your brain. This is your brain on videogames” PSAs any time soon.
Not that we’re too surprised, mind you. Any community that can count grinding for experience points/boar tusks for hours on end as one of its main hobbies has to have developed a pretty serious attention span – probably out of necessity, if nothing else.
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MRrelabled
July 11, 2010 at 12:01am
Ah .... Dude .... do you remember were you you put the research report ?
Ah .... Don't bug me now I'm almost to the next level !!!
Dude .... this is the best spent grant money ever !!!
Wolfgang
July 10, 2010 at 10:13pm
"Videogames Cause Short Attention Spans?" Of course! When I'm playing, gaming, call it what you want and you come and want to interrupt me in the middle of a fight/battlelfield/shootout/gunz blazing; Of course I'm not gonna pay attention! Its a life or death situation! So duh...yeah some games cause Short Attention Spans. Let the gamerz finish their games!
hades_2100
July 10, 2010 at 8:00pm
Didn't you post an article saying the exact OPPOSITE of this yesterday:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/study_blames_short_attention_spans_tv_and_video_games
So what do we believe?
aviaggio
July 10, 2010 at 8:10pm
That's the point -- that these guys are debunking the original story.
Five Rabbits
July 10, 2010 at 4:50pm
There's been other research out there suggesting video games improve attention. I know there has been a line of stuides showing improved visual attention that's been around for years. It just takes someone to report on it, and the headline VIDEOGAMES HELP VISUAL ATTENTION isn't as exciting as VIDEOGAMES TURN KIDS INTO MURDERING ZOMBIE MOTHER KILLERS
LatiosXT
July 10, 2010 at 9:01am
I swear, when there's some sort of major "scare" amongst protective mothers and crap, they always point and blame the common factor between children. Probably all in the name of finding a way to make some cash from said mothers who are convinced into buying their children meds they don't need.
And I was on a psychoactive med for anxiety. They're not fun at all.
Cooketh
July 10, 2010 at 8:58am
Nathan, Well done. Good article.
It's nice to have the scientific community check and balancing itself, especially concerning this topic. We've seen already politicians and the general media taking bogus science and stats concerning video games out of control.
BuLLg0d
July 10, 2010 at 8:55am
I was gonna comment, wait, oh...no....um.... oh well. Hey, anyone have the new DROIDX? I like chicken!
aviaggio
July 10, 2010 at 8:54am
I called bullshit on this one in the other post. Glad to know that some competent scientists agree with me :D
xs0u1x
July 10, 2010 at 8:43am
the whole problem with all of this is, naturally, the sensationalized "research and findings" will grab the attention(no pun intended) of stupid parents across the map more, simpley because it's not well though out and makes general difinitive statements. it's good that the two other researches called BS on this study, but generally little attention will be paid to their findings. and then you'll have the jack thompson types whom willl not just admit that theydon't like video games and won't let their children play them, but insist on telling other people how they should raise their children will be pointing to this study as some kind of credible source of information.
Vegan
July 10, 2010 at 8:32am
General statements are not a nice thing. Some video games require ridiculous amounts of patience and attention.
Caboose
July 10, 2010 at 8:03am
you bat me to it. I was going to post the same thing!
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
arch-chancellor
July 10, 2010 at 7:06am
"Remember that study that told you to pull the plug..."
OH! Look at the grouse!
Xiongrey
July 10, 2010 at 5:18am
I believe the studies that state video games can improve memory, cognition, attention and hand-eye coordination. I am an avid gamer with children. I let my children play video games for a longer period of time than most people would consider healthy. A total of about 2-4 hours a day each. My nine year old daughter has been put into an advanced class a grade above what she is supposed to be in. Last year, she was recognized for scoring the highest in the state on our state's test of basic skills. Now I'm not giving all credit to games, but I don't believe it has hurt either. I do believe however, that my children are developing skills that will be necessary in this ever increasingly digital world.
ziggyinc
July 10, 2010 at 8:27am
I play with my child, and time spent, Parent and child, together is time very well spent. my three year old knows that light sabers and cars that fly through the air for miles arent real... but it is still fun, and I wouldn't trade those hours for anything.
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