Dr. Bill Kelley, Professor in Dartmouth College’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, presented to all of Richmond Middle School and several guests from Kendall this past Tuesday on the topic of gaming as an addictive behavior.
Highlights of the Presentation
1. Members of the audience participated in several exercises to demonstrated principles of selective attention and other principles of cognitive science that explain how our brains perceive and process information.
The Selective Attention Test:
1. Members of the audience participated in several exercises to demonstrated principles of selective attention and other principles of cognitive science that explain how our brains perceive and process information.
The Selective Attention Test:
& The Ames Room in San Francisco.
2. The role of the nucleus accumbens as "pleasure center" in the brain - an important region of the brain in rewarding behaviors.
3. Dr. Kelley's lab has researched the role of the nucleus accumbens in game addiction for certain computer/video games. World of Warcraft
is an example of a game that is addicting because the "world" never
stops, players rely on participation of other players to be success and
are punished if other players take a break from playing.
4. Not thinking about something that you are addicted to is extremely difficult. Willpower and consciously taking time away from gaming is one of the only ways to deal with the addictive properties of gaming so that it does not interfere with other aspects of your life. Dr. Kelley presented a case study of a 16 year-old in the UK who has been playing World of Warcraft 16 hours per day.
No comments:
Post a Comment