Attention Defi-whaaa? The Link Between Video Games and ADHD

AveryZoe

July 10, 2010

was reading a study recently about...ooooh! Pretty bird! Um, where was I? Oh, yeah, there was this study, and it was about how video games...um video games--Hey! Did you guys see that new movie? What? Oh--the study. Yeah, it was about video games affecting attention span. Something about kids and even college-aged students having more attention problems the more video games they play. I don't know what they're talking abou...Hey! Scooby Doo is on!

adhd3 (16K) Seriously though, this is a real scientific study conducted by three psychologists at Iowa State University. They followed a group of over 1,300 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students and a group of 210 college students over a period of 13 months. Using reports from parents, students and teachers for the first group and self-reporting for the second group, the researchers found a correlation between video game and television viewing and attention problems. The subjects average 4.26 hours of screen time each day (this is lower than national averages). Although they aren't certain why excessive screen time would create attention difficulties, associate professor Douglas Gentile believes it has something to do with the fast-paced nature of today's media. "Brain science demonstrates that the brain becomes what the brain does," says Gentile. "If we train the brain to require constant stimulation and constant flickering lights, changes in sound and camera angle, or immediate feedback, such as video games can provide, then when the child lands in the classroom where the teacher doesn't have a million-dollar-per-episode budget, it may be hard to get children to sustain their attention."

Although the study is significant in that it creates a link between media usage and attention disorders, it should be taking with a grain of salt. Even the lead researchers admit that "television or video game time cannot solely explain the development of attention problems." Given that there have also been recent studies linking attention difficulties to pesticide use, sleep disorder, television use at young ages, and various other environmental factors--one has to wonder that there is any attention span left for video games to destroy. At any rate, the study seems to suggest what most good parents should already know: video games and other media should be used in moderation. In other words, kick your pasty-white kids off the computer and send their butts outside for a while (that way, you can have a turn).