ECT Brownbag: Frankie Tam  

The Impact of Game Design Elements on Motivation and Performance in Cognitive Skills Training Games

When: Thursday, February 4, 2021 ,10:00 – 11:00am EST
Zoom Link: https://nyu.zoom.us/j/99255682170

Executive functions are a set of cognitive processing skills required for regulating individuals’ thoughts and behaviors. Three fundamental components of executive function include shifting between tasks, updating and monitoring of working memory, and inhibition. Executive functions are found to be an important factor in behavioral development, social-emotional development, and academic achievement. Given the importance of executive functions, there is an increasing interest in identifying and developing effective cognitive skills training interventions. Games have shown promising results in promoting motivation and improving executive functions. However, research on designing effective games for teaching executive functions is limited. Contemporary motivational theories allow us to understand how game design elements can be incorporated to promote motivation and performance. This knowledge can be applied for informing design decisions to enhance effectiveness in cognitive skills games. In this talk, I will discuss my dissertation proposal on the design of an experimental study to understand and evaluate the impact of game design elements in a cognitive skills training game.