Rachel M. Flynn

Effects of Exergame Play on EF in Children and Adolescents at a Summer Camp for Low Income Youth

Past research has suggested exergame play improves adolescents’ executive function (EF) skills. EF change in 70 African American and Hispanic/Latino 10- to 16-year-olds participating in an inner-city summer camp was assessed following five 30-minute exergame play sessions. Children’s EF scores improved from pre- to posttest, and factors related to this change were examined. The number of exergame sessions the participants attended predicted posttest scores. In addition, level of achievement during game play was related to EF scores. Finally, the children’s level of enjoyment was not related to EF; however, frustration and boredom during game play were negatively related to EF. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the relationship between exergame play and cognitive benefits for adolescent players.

US preschoolers’ trust of and learning from media characters

Abstract The current study examined the relations between children’s perceptions of character social realism, identification with characters, trust of characters as knowledgeable informants, and learning from media characters. Thirty-six 3½- to 6-year-old children watched a short clip of an animated educational television program about a preschool-aged boy who enjoys learning about science. Participants provided ratings of the character’s social realism, their identification with the character, and their trust in the character as a knowledgeable informant. Participants were asked to solve problems based on information in the video clip. Findings revealed character trust was the strongest indicator of learning from the character. Results are discussed in the context of the different factors that influence learning from curriculum-based media for young children.

The Influence of Active Gaming on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Black and Hispanic Youth

BACKGROUND Youth in the United States have low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, a risk factor for childhood obesity. Lower levels of physical fitness for black and Hispanic youth contribute to health disparities. In this feasibility study, we examined active video games (AVGs) as a tool to improve fitness and attitudes toward physical activity during early adolescence. METHOD A 6-week AVG program took place in a youth development program in a high-poverty neighborhood in New York City. Youth aged 10 to 15 years (50% overweight or obese) participated in 2 fitness tests and completed surveys that captured barriers to physical activity pre- and postintervention. Each week, participants played Wii Fit games for 30 minutes. RESULTS Participants improved the number of sit-ups and step-ups they completed from pre- to postintervention (p < .05). Participants also increased their self-efficacy, intention to exercise and perceived social support to exercise (p < .05). Youth reported a high level of enjoyment and perceived Wii Fit as ways to increase physical fitness and increase their physical activity. CONCLUSION AVGs may be a viable alternative exercise program to increase physical activity for black and Hispanic youth living in poverty-impacted neighborhoods.

Learning vocabulary from educational media: The role of pedagogical supports for low-income preschoolers.

This article reports on two studies designed to examine the landscape of online streamed videos, and the features that may support vocabulary learning for low-income preschoolers. In Study 1, we report on a content analysis of 100 top language- and literacy-focused educational media programs streamed from five streaming platforms. Randomly selecting two episodes from each program, we identified the prevalence of vocabulary opportunities, and the pedagogical supports—techniques or features in these media that are designed to orient children to specific vocabulary words. In over the 2,000 scenes coded, we identified two overriding categories of supports: ostensive cues, designed to provide definitional information to children; and attention-directing cues, designed to signal children’s attention to a target word. In Study 2, we use eye-tracking technology to examine which of these pedagogical supports might predict children’s ability to identify program-specific vocabulary. Results indicated that although ostensive cues predicted overall attention to scenes, attention-directing cues were most effective in directing children to target words and their subsequent word identification. Children with higher language scores were more likely to use these cues to their advantage than their lower language peers. These results may have important implications for designing digital media to enhance children’s opportunity to learn vocabulary.

Cognitive, not physical, engagement in video gaming influences executive functioning

ABSTRACT Physically active video games (i.e., exergames), which are a prevalent and popular childhood activity, may have benefits to executive-functioning (EF) skills, as they incorporate both cognitive engagement and physical activity. Acute EF change in 147 7- to 12-year-olds was assessed after participation in a 20-min activity. The between-subjects design had 4 conditions: exergame, sedentary video game, exercise, and nonplaying control. The varied level of physical and cognitive engagement examined whether the nature of the activity, such as physical movement or cognitive engagement in an enjoyable activity, differentially related to changes in different aspects of EF. Participants in the cognitively engaging conditions (i.e., the 2 video game conditions) improved their accuracy on the most complex EF test and their reaction time on the standard EF test more than participants in the other conditions. These findings suggest that the kind of cognitive engagement involved in video game play is the mechanism of acute effects on EF.

Acute effects of physically active versus inactive video game play on executive functioning skills in children

Video games, especially the newest technologies, are prevalent and popular activities for children. However, few studies have explored the benefits of playing these games on cognition. The aim of my dissertation research is to investigate how cognitive engagement and physical activity in active versus inactive video game play influences short-term effects on executive functioning (EF) skills for children ages 6 to 11. Research has found that certain activities temporarily boost executive functioning skills. Studies with adults and undergraduates have found that video game play increases selective attention and inhibition. In addition, empirical research has demonstrated that aerobic activity can enhance executive functioning after a 30-minute bout of exercise. Therefore, exergames, physically active video games, may have the most potential to impact executive functioning skills based on the combination of exercise and cognitively engaging video game play. The research will examine differences in executive functioning immediately after game play. There will be four conditions: a non-playing control, an exercise condition, an exergame condition, and sedentary video game condition. One hundred forty participants ages 6 to 11 years old will be tested in pre- and posttest on three different executive functioning tasks. An ANOVA with repeated planned contrasts will examine the hypothesis that the children in the exergame condition will have significantly greater improvement in EF than children in the non-playing control, exercise or sedentary video game conditions.