ICT and Children - Cognitive Development
Developed by KCB336 New Media Technologies students in the Creative Industries Faculty, QUT.
A number of studies have been conducted in relation to the cognitive effects of computers on children (Valkenburg, 2004; Calvert, Jordan & Cocking, 2002). As defined by Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield & Gross (2000), “cognitive skills are the skills associated with thinking and knowing�. Although the term cognitive skills encompasses a broad array of skills, much of the research has focused on four main cognitive effects:
1. Intelligence
2. Eye-hand coordination
3. Visual attentional capacity
4. Creativity
Some researchers believe that children become more intelligent through the use of computers, however there has been no research to date which has proved that children who frequently use a computer are more intelligent than those who do not. However there has been some indication that certain forms of intelligence can be enhanced through the use of computers. For example, some studies indicate that ‘spatial intelligence’ can be stimulated by playing computer games and that children who regularly play computer games develop a better spatial intelligence (Valkenburg, 2004). However it has been suggested that although playing computer games has immediate positive effects on specific skills used by the game, more research is needed to determine whether long term use can lead to long term improvements in cognitive skills (Calvert, Jordan & Cocking, 2002).
Eye hand coordination is the “skill of responding immediately with the hands to what the eye has just seen� (Valkenburg, 2004). Some types of computer games require a high level of eye-hand coordination and many researchers consequently believe that playing these sorts of games stimulates eye-hand coordination. There have also been indications that visual attentional capacity may be increased through playing computer games however the evidence is not conclusive (Valkenburg, 2004). Creativity has also been a topic of research in cognitive effects of computers. Some researchers believe that computer games make children less creative, and others believe that computer games enhance children’s creativity (Valkenburg, 2004; Calvert, Jordan & Cocking, 2002). However there is no empirical evidence to validate these claims.
References
Calvert, S., Jordan, A., & Cocking, R. (2002). Children in the Digital Age: Influences of Electronic Media on Development. Westport: Praeger Publishers, ISBN 0275976521
Subrahmanyam, K., Kraut, R., Greenfield, P., & Gross, E. (2000). The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development. The Future of Children Children and Computer Technology, 10 (2). Retrieved September 8, 2004, from [1]
Valkenburg, P. (2004). Children’s Responses to the Screen: A Media Psychological Approach. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, ISBN 0805847642
