Behavioral and Neural Effects of Game-Based Learning on Improving Computational Fluency With Numbers

ÇAKIR M. P., Cakir N. A., Ayaz H., Lee F. J.

ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY, vol.224, no.4, pp.297-302, 2016 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 224 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000267
  • Journal Name: ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.297-302
  • Keywords: educational games, math education, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, computational fluency, working memory, NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY, PREFRONTAL CORTEX, BRAIN, NAVIGATION, TASK
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study examines the short-term behavioral and neural effects of an educational mobile game called MathDash on computational fluency. A portable functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIR) device was used to monitor changes in the prefrontal cortices of middle school students due to game-based training. Our aim is to explore changes in neural activity at regions in the prefrontal cortex associated with the management of working memory and attentional resources due to arithmetic training with MathDash. Overall, our results indicated that playing MathDash for a short duration of time elicited behavioral improvements as well as functional changes in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.