Video game training does not enhance cognitive ability: A comprehensive meta-analytic investigation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Cognitive training's potential for enhancing cognitive abilities is a significant area of research.
• However, studies on expertise and meta-analyses suggest limited skill generalization (far transfer) across different domains.
• This lack of far transfer is observed in areas like working memory training, music, brain training, and chess.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate claims that video game training enhances a wide range of cognitive abilities, including visual processing, attention, spatial ability, and cognitive control.
• To determine the relationship between video game skill and cognitive ability.
• To examine the effects of video game training on cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

• Three random-effects meta-analytic models were employed.
• Meta-analysis 1: Examined the correlation between video game skill and cognitive ability (k = 310).
• Meta-analysis 2: Assessed differences in cognitive ability between video game players and non-players (k = 315).
• Meta-analysis 3: Investigated the effects of video game training on cognitive ability (k = 359).

Main Results:

• All three meta-analyses revealed small or null overall effect sizes.
• A weak relationship was found between overall cognitive ability and video game skill.
• No evidence supported a causal relationship between playing video games and enhanced cognitive ability.

Conclusions:

• Video game training does not appear to enhance cognitive abilities beyond the trained tasks.
• The findings align with the general difficulty of achieving far transfer in cognitive training.
• Video game training is not an exception to the limited transfer of learned skills to unrelated domains.