Cognitive consequences of playing brain-training games in immersive virtual reality

The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of playing an immersive virtual reality game that included a collection of gamified cognitive tasks, Cerevrum, on specific components of cognition, including perceptual attention, mental rotation, working memory, visualization, visual field of view, and visual processing speed. Participants completed a pretest of cognitive assessments, played one of the two mini-games within Cerevrum (Stardust or Heroes) for 1.5 hr over three 30-min sessions and then completed a posttest of cognitive assessments and a questionnaire about interest and engagement during the game. An inactive control group completed only the pretest and posttest. Results showed no significant differences among the Heroes group, Stardust group, and control group on the posttest scores, even when controlled for pretest scores. These findings do not support the claim that playing brain-training games for a short period results in transfer of cognitive training to nongame venues.     

Wandering eyes: Eye movements during mind wandering in video lectures

Video lectures are increasingly prevalent, but they present challenges to learners. Students' minds often wander, yet we know little about how mind wandering affects attention during video lectures. This paper presents two studies that examined eye movement patterns of mind wandering during video lectures. In the studies, mind wandering reports were collected by either self-caught reports or thought probes. Results were similar across the studies: mind wandering was associated with an increased allocation of fixations to the instructor's image. For fixations on the slides, the average duration increased but the dispersion decreased. Moreover, preliminary evidence suggested that fixation duration and dispersion can diminish soon after self-caught reports of mind wandering. Overall, these findings help advance our understanding of how learners' attention is affected during mind wandering and may facilitate efforts in objectively identifying mind wandering. Future research is needed to determine if these findings can extend to other instructional formats.     

父母忽视与青少年短视频过度使用的关系：正念和自我控制的中介机制

为考察父母忽视与青少年短视频过度使用的关系,并探索正念与自我控制的多重中介机制,选取1015名青少年为研究对象,进行父母忽视、自我控制、正念和短视频过度使用的测量。结果表明：（1）父母忽视与短视频过度使用呈显著正相关。（2）自我控制在父母忽视与短视频过度使用间起中介作用,且正念和自我控制还在两者间起链式中介作用。     

A COMPARISON OF PEER VIDEO MODELING AND SELF VIDEO MODELING TO TEACH TEXTUAL RESPONSES IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Peer video modeling was compared to self video modeling to teach 3 children with autism to respond appropriately to (i.e., identify or label) novel letters. A combination multiple baseline and multielement design was used to compare the two procedures. Results showed that all 3 participants met the mastery criterion in the self‐modeling condition, whereas only 1 of the participants met the mastery criterion in the peer‐modeling condition. In addition, the participant who met the mastery criterion in both conditions reached the criterion more quickly in the self‐modeling condition. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching new skills to children with autism.     

2～3岁儿童对视频信息的理解

选取2岁、2．5岁和3岁儿童72名,比较儿童通过窗口、视频和模型三种条件观看藏玩具过程,然后正确找到玩具的表现,考察了2～3岁儿童对视频信息的理解特点。结果表明：（1）与通过直接经验获得信息相比,2岁与2.5岁儿童从视频获得表征信息存有一定困难;3岁儿童能够顺利地从视频获得并运用表征信息。（2）2～3岁儿童在视频条件下获取表征信息的能力要强于模型条件。研究认为3岁前儿童完成将视频图像视为真实物向视为表征信息的转换,双重表征并非儿童将视频图像作为表征信息加以理解的先决条件。     

Aggression and psychopathology in adolescents with a preference for violent electronic games

Associations between a preference for violent electronic games and adolescents’ self‐perceptions of problem behaviors and emotions were examined. It was predicted that a preference for violent games would be associated with negative externalizing characteristics, in particular aggressive emotions and behaviors, on the Youth Self‐Report (YSR), a standardized self‐report measure of adolescent problem behaviors. Thirty‐two 11‐ through 15‐year‐olds (17 girls) listed and categorized favorite electronic games into one of six predetermined categories and completed the YSR. MANOVA revealed significant relationships between a preference for violent games and the Thought Problems subscale (P < .01) and YSR Total Score (P < .05), with trends noted for the Internalizing (P < .06) and Anxious‐Depressed (P < .08) subscales. Expected relationships with externalizing behaviors, including aggression, were not found. However, across all YSR subscales, children with higher preference for violent games had more clinically significant elevations than those with low preference for violent games. On the Total Problems subscale, of the eight children receiving scores in the clinically significant range, six were in the High preference group (three boys and three girls). The failure to find the expected relationships between a preference for violent games and aggressive, externalizing behaviors is puzzling. It is possible that individuals with a preference for violent games may have high exposure to all forms of media violence. Their perceptions of their own behavior, in comparison, may not seem sufficiently aggressive to justify endorsement of problems in this area. Or, playing violent electronic games may promote a disconnection between the emotions normally associated with violence and violent acts. These explanations are consistent with a desensitization model where exposure to media violence decreases sensitivity to aggression. Aggr. Behav. 28:134–144, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Comparing forward and backward chaining in teaching Olympic weightlifting

The popularity of Olympic‐style weightlifting in fitness routines is growing, but participating in these exercises with improper technique places lifters at increased risk for injury. Fitness training professionals have developed multiple teaching strategies, but have not subjected these strategies to systematic evaluation, particularly with novice lifters. Two strategies recommended by professional training organizations are akin to forward and backward chaining, which have been shown effective at teaching other novel, complex behaviors. The present study compared these forward‐ and backward‐chaining‐like strategies to teach novice lifters “the clean” and “the snatch,” two Olympic weightlifting movements frequently incorporated into high‐intensity training programs. Participants performed lifts taught with forward chaining more accurately than lifts taught with backward chaining.     

Comparison of prompting procedures to teach internet skills to older adults

The Internet and information and communications technologies (ICTs) have been found to produce meaningful social interactions and greater social support among older adults (White et al., 2002 ). Despite these benefits, the Internet and ICTs are not widely used among the older‐adult population (Cresci, Yarandi, & Morrell, 2010 ). The purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of video prompting and text‐based instructions on the acquisition of three tablet‐based tasks: emailing, video calling (FaceTime® application), and searching for a YouTube? video. Both video prompting and text‐based instructions were effective for all three participants, with text‐based instructions being slightly more efficient for one participant and video prompting being more efficient for two participants, suggesting that both prompting procedures can be used to teach older adults Internet and ICT skills.