Hilla, Yannik (2023): NeuroGame: neural mechanisms underlying cognitive improvement in video gamers. Dissertation, LMU München: Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) |
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Abstract
The video game market represents an influential and profitable industry. But concerns have been raised how video games impact on the human mind. There are reservations that video gaming may be addictive and foster aggressive behaviour. In contrast, a convincing body of research indicates that playing video games may improve cognitive processing. The exact mechanism thereof is not entirely understood. Most research suggests that video games train individuals in learning how to employ attentional control to focus on processing relevant information, while being able to suppress irrelevant information. Thus, video game players acquire the ability of being able to develop strategies to process information more efficiently. However, no algorithmic solution therefore has been provided yet. Thus, it is not clear which and how attentional control functions contribute to these effects. Moreover, neural mechanisms thereof are not well understood. We hypothesized that alterations in alpha power, i.e., modulations in brain oscillatory activity around 10 Hz, represent a promising neural substrate of video gaming effects. This was because, alpha activity represents an established neural correlate of attention processing given that its amplitude modulation corresponds to alterations in information processing. We investigated this by relating differential cognitive processing in video game players to changes in alpha power modulation. Moreover, we tried to imitate this effect using non-invasive brain stimulation. We were successful in achieving the former but not the latter. We provide a reasonable explanation for this. Thus, our results mostly support our hypothesis according to which altered alpha power may account for gaming effects.
Item Type: | Theses (Dissertation, LMU Munich) |
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Keywords: | transfer effects, computational modeling, attentional control, brain stimulation |
Subjects: | 500 Natural sciences and mathematics 500 Natural sciences and mathematics > 570 Life sciences |
Faculties: | Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) |
Language: | English |
Date of oral examination: | 23. May 2023 |
1. Referee: | Sauseng, Paul |
MD5 Checksum of the PDF-file: | 35a104242e8c15c6b2160d368f4fea27 |
Signature of the printed copy: | 0001/UMC 29673 |
ID Code: | 31977 |
Deposited On: | 27. Jun 2023 13:39 |
Last Modified: | 27. Jun 2023 13:39 |