When people get older, it is not uncommon for them to experience difficulties with memory, particularly with working memory. According to the National Library of MedicineTrusted Source, working memory is defined as “the small amount of information that can be held in mind and used in the execution of cognitive tasks.”
For example, when someone gives instructions to complete a task, the person would rely on their working memory to keep the instructions in mind for the duration of the task.
Researchers often look into methods of improving memory capabilities, and one often-researched area includes video gaming. Scientists from the University of York, England suspected that the type of video game people play could impact working memory and people’s ability to ignore distractions. They saw greater performance in older adults who played digital puzzle games and younger adults who played strategy games.
The researchers published their findings in the journal Heliyon.
The researchers analyzed data from 482 participants for the study. The majority of the participants (297) were females. The participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 81, and the scientists placed them in either the younger adult group (ages 18–30) or the older adult group (ages 60–81). The participants reported their gaming habits and included details such as how often they played digital games, the type of games they played, and how much time they spent playing. The researchers counted all digital games, including arcade, PC, console, and mobile app games.
Another factor the participants had to report on was when they started playing video games — such as during the past year, decade, etc. The next thing the participants had to do was complete an online working memory assessment. The assessment checked for the following conditions: The “no distraction” part of the assessment gauged how well the participants could remember the location of red circles that showed up on a grid for a short amount of time. After briefly showing the red circles, the grid went blank, and the participants had to remember where the red circles appeared. With the “encoding distraction” aspect, the researchers checked this by showing both red and yellow circles on the assessment. The participants had to focus on the location of the red circles only and recall the location on the blank grid.
