Abstract:
It’s easy for one to get distracted, but there are ways you can help keep ones focus. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process we would be focusing on is sustaining attention. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the 6 audience member present. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to. In the end, those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information.
Introduction:
Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. The game objective does reinforce the learning objective, because all the questions ask and topics ask, are questions the participants should be able to answer. This game is all about learning and testing their skills to see how aware they are and whether they can stay on track. The participants are learning how to memorize information from the videos they watch. The amount of information they remembered can explain how long or short they have been paying attention. The participants would be asked questions from the beginning to end. The game is trying to teach the players and the audience the amount of information that can be retained once they get shown a video. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. They attended a debate round where those with long term attention span and short term attention span answer questions based on the video they just saw. The learning experience in the game is for players to try to gain as much information as possible from just by watching a video. It’s going to test them on how long the subject can stay interested without entering their own world. Two players are trying to prove that their focus isn’t affected by what they watch. Their attention span isn’t going to change, while the other two participants, who aren’t being asked questions, try to prove that their concentration skills are above average compared to those who had to answer questions without being timed. The objects used this game are a board that is similar to the Monopoly board. You would then need index cards and markers to label the board. Short term (ST) and Long term (LT) would be labeled on the board with objects. A red Christmas present sticker represents short term memory, while the blue Christmas present box represents long time memory. Those would be based on who answered those questions asked. In total 20 questions was asked, and the participants got to choose from 4 sections. One set of index cards would consist of questions that needs to be asked, while the back of the index cards will have the answers to the questions being asked. Representing the participants will also be fun stickers. The Christmas tree would represent the female participants, while the candy cane represented the male participants.
Thesis as a prediction:
Games can either be detrimental to attention spans or it can be a means of improving and sustaining attention. I predict games are the main problem and not the age of a child. Certain games need more attention than others. Certain games need more time to be completed. Some games are very strategic. Board games and card games are more efficient unlike computer games. With board games and card games you are interact with other people, unlike with computer games where its just a computer and an individual.
Methods:
Subjects
- My populations of interest are kids who are about to teenagers. In total 4 subjects would be the main participants. There would be 2 males and 2 females. The 2 females would be in their 20’s and the 2 males would be around 17 years old. The subjects are kids who have long term and short term memory. They are also sampled based on how well their attention span is. If someone is easily distracted or can completely focus, they would definitely be a part of this process. These kids were recruited from my family household. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the other two participants from the control group. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to. One day per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.Males and females who had different attention spans and have a different type of thinking were included. These subjects were chosen, because they have a different attention span, whether it being long term or short term. They also have a different strategy in how they memorize information.Any children under 17 was excluded from this experiment.The average age was kids who range from ages17-25. They were both genders. High school education and college education was required. These kids were from all over the world.The subjects being paid in food or college credits for each session they attended.
- Apparatus: The materials I used to collect data were questionnaires, along with the 2 days a week sessions. The game was presented, when kids came into a regular classroom. Those who zone out quickly had to respond to questions based on what they had watched earlier. Responses were measured by questionnaires given to the participants, and they were measured based on responses given out loud. They were also measured by numbers to see how well focused they were and how well information was being retained.In total 4 subjects were used. There are four main subjects. Two subjects were being tested on how well their attention was being sustained after playing games. The other two subjects, who had no involvement in games, their attention span were also being tested. The subjects were recruited from my household. Two participants were high school students, while the other two were college students. The participants were promised $100 dollars for every session they attended. Based on the responses from the questionnaire, favorable candidates, regardless of ethnicity and background, who showed clear signs of short attention span and those who showed long attention spans, were chosen. They would have to participant in question rounds that they were require to attend for 1 months, with 1 sessions per week. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the other two participants. They were shown a movie called Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and afterwards required to answer questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to. One day per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.
- Procedures:In this experiment there were two groups which both consist of 2 main subjects each. Both groups were required to fill out questionnaires that asked them to answer questions based of how well they think their focusing skills are. How well they focus after watching t.v? How well they focus after playing games for a certain amount of hours? Participants in one group were presented films to watch and afterwards required to ask questions, while participants in group two just watched films and weren’t required to answer questions. Subjects in each condition were asked to attend their sessions. This experiment lasted 1 month, and data was collected every week. At the end of every week, participants were given questions to answer based on what they experience that week. The data was shown how many questions were answered for group one, while for group two, the data shown was simply how focused they were. All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive reflection based on how well they concentrated.
Results:
All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive result based on how well they concentrated. The control group, which consisted of the two participants who received little to no questioning after watching the film, demonstrated no improvement during the 1 month session. At first boring films were shown to the first experimental group to see how long it would take before they become distracted. Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment. Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 3, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information.
| Participants | Week 1 | Week2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Mean | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 | |
Short Term Memory Chart
Long Term Memory Chart
| Participants | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Mean: | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Comparing and Contrasting Long Term and Short Term Memory
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
| Short Term Memory | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Long Term Memory | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Discussion:
Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. The game objective does reinforce the learning objective, because all the questions ask and topics ask, are questions the participants should be able to answer. This game is all about learning and testing their skills to see how aware they are and whether they can stay on track. The participants are learning how to memorize information from the videos they watch. The amount of information they remembered can explain how long or short they have been paying attention. The participants would be asked questions from the beginning to end.
Some people have a short attention span while playing games, while others may continue being able to have the same long attention span they have had before. Visual the way they perceive things and think about things. Playing board games and card games are completely different from video games. Some games would cause one to think faster, while other games would cause others to just freeze. Solving this problem further would advance in this field because it would answer certain questions such as, Does it depend on a certain age whether a kid suffers from a shorter attention span? Does attention span deficiency depend on the game being played? Those who struggle with short term attention, a game would be created to help them be able to focus more. Once they find that game they are interested in, they wouldn’t want to stop playing it. The main point of this work is to test the attention span of others. My game was testing to see whether or not the game will be able to sustain ones attention or completely make them disregard the game. As the game went on week after week, those who had short attention spans was able to improve weekly. They would answer more and more questions each week. This week the game ended up in a tie, which is pretty impressive.
This work can be related to other studies because I am trying to find a solution to how having a short attention span or a long attention span can affects one life. This study relates to real life because for example, if you are a journalist, you have to make sure the work you are publishing is facts, because if it’s not, you can be sued. This game does exist as an economy, because the people are playing a role in deciding whether having a long attention span or a short attention span should determine how much information one truly memorizes. The ability to stay focused is an important factor. This can go under working in reality. In the work place you need to be very attentive to what you are doing. Picking the correct video for both the control group and experimental group would be a challenge. If you pick a movie that’s interesting and what those with short attention spans may like to watch along with if the participants already seen that specific video , it can cause problems leading to defective results.
References:
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- Lawrence, V., Houghton, S., Douglas, G., Durkin, K., Whiting, K., &Tannock, R. (2004). Executive function and ADHD: a comparison of children’s performance during neuropsychological testing and real-world activities. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 7(3), 137-149.
- Tahiroglu, A. Y., Celik, G. G., Avci, A., Seydaoglu, G., Uzel, M., &Altunbas, H. (2010). Short-term effects of playing computer games on attention. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 13(6), 668-676. doi:10.1177/1087054709347205
- Bioulac, S., Lallemand, S., Fabrigoule, C., Thoumy, A., Philip, P., &Bouvard, M. P. (2014). Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 18(6), 542-550. doi:10.1177/1087054712443702
