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Highlights • Custom built digital game increased executive function (shifting) in adolescents. • Effects were augmented through "emotional design" in a "hot" version of the game. • "Hot" version was particularly effective for the older participants (14 and 15). • "Hot" version also effective for participants with higher prior EF. Abstract Executive function (EF), critical for many developmental outcomes, emerge in childhood and continue developing into early adulthood (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). During adolescence there are important developments in Hot EF , which involves using EF in emotionally salient contexts (Zelazo & Carlson, 2012). The current study used an emotional design approach (Um et al., 2012) to study hot EF in adolescents playing a digital game designed to train the EF subskill of shifting. Participants (N = 233; aged 12–16, M = 13.8, SD = 1.1) played one of two version of the game: hot (with emotional design), or cool (with more emotionally neutral design). There was a main effect of condition, with higher posttest scores on shifting in the hot condition. Condition significantly interacted with age: older adolescents had better outcomes in the hot condition than in the cool condition. A three-way interaction between age, prior EF and condition was found, indicating that the age by condition interaction was affected by prior EF. These results indicate that the higher emotional arousal in the hot condition is more effective for enhancing EF skills, particularly for older adolescents, and argue for developing learning and training games that account for developmental changes such as the growth of hot EF in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive functions (EF), the skills required to plan, monitor and control cognitive processes, are linked to many important educational and developmental outcomes. The Alien Game is a digital game developed to train the EF subskill of shifting . High school students ( N = 82; age range 14–18 years; average = 15.5 years) were asked to play the Alien Game for 20 min per week for 6 consecutive weeks. Two EF measures were administered before and after this intervention: the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task (a measure of shifting) and the Flanker task (a measure of inhibition). Students had a significant pre- to posttest increase in DCCS, t (81) = 4.29, p < 0.001, d = 0.54, and Flanker, t (77) = 2.93, p = 0.004, d = 0.22. Controlling for pretest score, gains in shifting were significantly predicted by a measure of game performance in the Alien Game . These findings provide evidence that the Alien Game is having the intended effect of improving EF, and argue that video games can be effective tools for training cognitive skills when they are explicitly designed for this purpose and when a rigorous design approach is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Effects of executive functions and instructional format on learning were examined. [•] With less complex simulations, students learned best with exploratory approach. [•] With complex simulations, executive functions interact with instructional approach. [•] Low executive functions students learned best with worked approach. [•] High executive functions students learned best with exploratory approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Reading to young children has a number of benefits, including supporting the acquisition of vocabulary and literacy skills. Digital reading games, including ones with new modes of interface such as the Kinect for Xbox, may provide similar benefits in part by allowing dynamic in-game activities. However, these activities may also be distracting and detract from learning. Children (ages 5–7 years, N = 39) were randomly assigned to either i) jointly read a story with an adult, ii) have the story read by a character in a Kinect game, or iii) have the story read by a character in a Kinect game plus in-game activities. Both Kinect-Activities and Book Reading groups had significant gains for High Frequency Words, Active Decoding, and Total Reading Score, but only Kinect-Activities group had significant gain for Sight words (p < .05). Overall, these findings are encouraging for the next generation of digital literacy games. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The present study explores the relation among different characteristics of preadolescents and their video game habits and preferences. Specifically, the predictive power of age, gender, and psychological adjustment on time spent playing video games and game preference was explored. Children ages 10–15 were given two surveys: a video game habits survey and the BASC-II self-report assessment of personality. Results confirm previous findings of significant gender differences in both time spent playing video games and game type preference. For preadolescents, males were found to spend more time overall playing video games, but for both males and females time spent playing increased with age. No relation was found between time spent playing video games and negative psychological adjustment, as assessed by the BASC-II. Game type preference was predicted by several psychological characteristics. For example, females’ positive feelings about the self were associated with increased likelihood of electing First Person Shooters as a favored game type, and males’ internalizing difficulties were associated with decreased likelihood of electing Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). The current findings confirm previous results with preadolescents, an under-studied age group, and lend novel insight into the psychological processes that contribute to video game preference. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two studies examined the use of video in multimedia learning environments. In Study 1, participants (N =26) viewed one of two versions of a computer-based multimedia presentation: video, which included a video of a lecture with synchronized slides, or no video, which included the slides but only an audio narration of the lecture. Learning, cognitive load and social presence were assessed, but a significant difference was found only for cognitive load, with video experiencing greater cognitive load, t (24)=2.45, p <.05. In Study 2, students (N =25) were randomly assigned to either video or no video condition. Background knowledge and visual/verbal learning preference were assessed before viewing the presentation, and learning, cognitive load, and social presence were assessed after viewing. No significant differences were found for learning or social presence. However, a significant visual/verbal learning preference by condition interaction was found for cognitive load, F (1,21)=4.51, p <.05: low visual-preference students experienced greater cognitive load in the video condition, while high visual-preference students experienced greater cognitive load in the no video condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

What is the affective quality of specific design features of game characters? The Integrative Model of Emotion in Game-based Learning (EmoGBL) describes common mechanisms of how emotion and learning processes interact to foster specific learning outcomes. In the present paper, we asked how color, shape, expression, and dimensionality of game characters induce emotions in digital games for learning. We investigated learners' perception of the affective quality of these four different visual design features for adults and adolescents using a forced choice paradigm (studies 1–3), as well as the PANAS-X and qualitative measures (study 4). Participants were shown a series of game characters and were asked to report their emotional response. Results show the relative contribution of the four visual attributes on players' perception of affective quality, with the visual design features of expression and dimensionality having the strongest effect, color a medium-sized effect, and shape a small to medium-sized effect. • The affective quality of design features of characters for learning games was investigated. • Immersion (Immersive 3D vs. Desktop 2D) had a large effect on affective arousal. • Expression (sad v. neutral v. happy) had a large effect on affective arousal. • Color (cold v. warm) had a medium-sized effect on affective arousal. • Shape (square v. round) had a small to medium-sized effect on affective arousal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Fixation transitions between related representations was associated with learning. [•] Different types of learning associated with different types of transitions. [•] Learning was statistically independent of prior knowledge. [•] Learning not associated with frequency of fixations on individual representations. [•] Learning not associated with duration of fixations on individual representations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examine design factors that may evoke positive emotions in learners and investigate the effects of these positive emotions on learning. Recent research showed that the emotional design of multimedia learning material can induce positive emotions in learners that in turn facilitate comprehension and transfer. We sought to replicate these results with a different population and different mood induction procedure and examine individual emotions, and to decompose the effects of the design elements of color and shape. Study 1 showed that well-designed materials induced positive emotions and facilitated comprehension, though transfer performance was not affected by emotional design. Study 2 found that round face-like shapes both alone and in conjunction with warm color induced positive emotions. Warm colors alone, however, did not affect learners' emotions. Comprehension was facilitated by warm colors and round face-like shapes, independently as well as together. Transfer was facilitated by round face-like shapes when used with neutral colors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Indicators of behavioral engagement derived from log data may provide insight about variation in participants' interactions with and the efficacy of digital cognitive skills training games. We first sought to determine whether distinct groups of adolescents (N = 163; Mean age = 14.1 years, SD = 1.3) could be identified based on variables derived from digital log data collected while participants played a game designed to enhance inhibitory control. We then examined whether these data-driven participant groupings were associated with improvement in inhibitory control. Latent class mixture modeling was conducted both with reaction time and a measure of response accuracy (d') of log data. Results indicated two distinct classes based on reaction time, and four classes based on response accuracy over the course of training. Class membership based on reaction time was associated with differential improvements in performance on a subsequent standardized measure of inhibitory control. The findings point towards the need for formative metrics of progress, as well as the need for more adaptive and user-centered cognitive skills interventions. Our findings suggest that there may be some utility in analyzing log data as an indicator of student engagement, particularly when used in complement with more traditional measures of performance. • Latent class mixture models were used to examine performance in a digital game. • Two classes were identified based on reaction time, and four classes based on accuracy. • Class membership was associated with improved reaction time on a standard measure of inhibition. • Age was associated with classification for both reaction time and accuracy. • Findings provide an example of using digital logs to understand learner differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]