Monday, September 7, 2009

Video Games/Facebook Make You Smarter, Twitter/YouTube Make You Dumber?

Microblogging on sites like Twitter and watching videos on YouTube are thought to make you dumber while playing video games and using Facebook are thought to have the opposite effect. This has to do with the concept of 'working memory' but in tests has had a measurable impact on IQs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/6147668/Facebook-enhances-intelligence-but-Twitter-diminishes-it-claims-psychologist.html

"Playing video war games and solving Sudoku may have the same effect as keeping up to date with Facebook, according to Dr Tracy Alloway.

But text messaging, micro-blogging on ''Twitter'' and watching YouTube were all likely to weaken ''working memory''.
...
Dr Alloway, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, has extensively studied working memory and believes it to be far more important to success and happiness than IQ.

Her team has developed a working memory training programme that greatly increased the performance of slow-learning children aged 11 to 14 at a school in Durham.

After eight weeks of ''JungleMemory'' training, the children saw 10 point improvements in IQ, literacy and numeracy tests.
"

3 comments:

  1. heyyy..why not...I try to remember all my friends status updates, pokes...etc.lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Video games did make smarter! :) In a span of one year playing WoW, I believe it helped on hand and eye coordination and memory retention. Check out this site with regard to its update: http://www.linkgeneral.com/articles.asp?articleid=56209

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not agree with that point, Even many people using you tube as entertainment application. I got such a nice information from you tube. I am not prefer to see music video but also like to watch some histological moments and news also.It gives such a nice knowledge about history and different cultures.

    ReplyDelete

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