The Impact of Computer Games on Cognitive Development in Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65469/eijournal.2026.4.23Keywords:
computer games, cognitive development, adolescents, executive functions, processing speed, working memory, inhibitory control, KyrgyzstanAbstract
Computer games have become an integral part of everyday life for most adolescents, although the impact on cognitive skills is still controversial and nearly no data are available from Central Asia. This study examined the association of regular gaming with four cognitive functions (processing speed, working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) in adolescent boys aged 13–14 years old. Sixty eighth-grade boys from a Bishkek lyceum were divided into gamers (n = 31) and non-gamers (n = 29) and assessed with four PsyToolkit tasks - Digit Symbol Substitution Test, a 2-Back task, the Stroop task and a task-switching paradigm. Sleep, school grades and physical activity were documented as controls on a short questionnaire. Independent-samples t-tests showed no significant group differences on any measure, with effect sizes ranging from d = −.03 to .21, significantly below the sensitivity of the design. Weekly hours spent gaming were not predictive of performance. The results are congruent with the sceptical side of the gaming-and-cognition literature and provide a first Kyrgyz data point to it.
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