Tag: Daphne Bavelier

Brain tune-up from action video game play
Numerous studies have found that playing action video games such as “Call of Duty” helps cognitive functioning. Brain and cognitive sciences professor Daphne Bavelier explains how shooting zombies can enhance brain skills. / Scientific American

Want to boost your brain power? A new study says video games are the answer.
Remember when you told your kids that spending too much time playing video games would make them lazy?
Now there’s a perfect comeback: Playing video games can actually make you smarter.
Really. According to a study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, playing fast-paced action video games can make someone a better learner.

Could playing video games make you smarter?
“Prior research by our group and others has shown that action gamers excel at many tasks. In this new study, we show they excel because they are better learners,” said Daphne Bavelier, a research professor in brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. “And they become better learners by playing the fast-paced action games.” Bavelier said our brains keep predicting what will come next – whether when listening to a conversation, driving, or even preforming surgery. “

Playing action video games can boost learning
A new study shows for the first time that playing action video games improves not just the skills taught in the game, but learning capabilities more generally.