The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Action video gaming and cognitive control: playing first person shooter games is associated with improvement in working memory but not action inhibition
Abstract
The interest in the influence of videogame experience in our daily life is constantly growing. "First Person Shooter" (FPS) games require players to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly react and monitor fast moving visual and auditory stimuli, and to inhibit erroneous actions. This study investigated whether and to which degree experience with such videogames generalizes to other cognitive control tasks. Experienced video game players (VGPs) and individuals with little to no videogame experience (NVGPs) performed on a N-back task and a stop-signal paradigm that provide a relatively well-established diagnostic measure of the monitoring and updating of working memory (WM) and response inhibition (an index of behavioral impulsivity), respectively. VGPs were faster and more accurate in the monitoring and updating of WM than NVGPs, which were faster in reacting to go signals, but showed comparable stopping performance. Our findings support the idea that playing FPS games is associated with enhanced flexible updating of task-relevant information without affecting impulsivity.
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“There is good evidence that video game players outperform nongamers on tests of working memory [52] visual attention [53,54] and processing speed [55,56].”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [52]
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“The observation that playing FPS games predicts performance on a relatively well-established diagnostic index of monitoring and updating of WM (Kane et al., 2007) provides support for the idea that video game experience is linked with enhancement in the monitoring and updating of task relevant…”
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“In line with this, previous research suggests that gamers often demonstrate comparable or even superior goal-directed executive functioning compared to non-gamers (Colzato et al., 2013; Cudo et al., 2025; Waris et al., 2019).”
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“…of agility and improvement in attentional tasks and other cognitive functions (e.g., Bediou et al., 2018; Belchior et al., 2013; Boot et al., 2011; Colzato et al., 2013; Curcio & Peracchia, 2019; Föcker et al., 2019; Latham et al., 2013; Sajan et al., 2017; Stanmore et al., 2017), other studies…”
Katiyar, S. S., Jain, P., Mahajan, A. S., Kaushik, S., & Kapoor, M. (2026) · International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health · doi:10.1515/ijamh-2025-0233
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Sun, L., Li, X., Li, S., Zhang, X., Si, Y., & Zhang, H. (2025) · Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) · doi:10.1027/1618-3169/a000662
“Previous studies have investigated the impact of violent video games on response inhibition (Colzato et al., 2013; Miedzobrodzka, et al., 2021), but few studies have focused on the influence of avatars, which are core elements of violent video games, on players ’ response inhibition.”
Ming, Y., Cheng, X., Wu, J., Gong, K., Liu, K., Lei, W., & Chen, J. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09432-8
“Notably, these cognitive advantages extend beyond gaming contexts to non-gaming visual tasks (Colzato et al., 2013; Pardina-Torner et al., 2019).”
Toth, A. J., Kim, J., Spjut, J., Boudaoud, B., Cunneen, S., & Campbell, M. J. (2026) · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.102774
“Firstly, perception in this study was evaluated using a forced-choice paradigm that involved a working memory component not dissimilar to that evaluated during a 1-back N-back task (Jaeggi et al., 2010; Colzato et al., 2013).”
Yang, L., Huang, Y., Li, P., Tang, H., & Jin, X. (2026) · Cognitive Research Principles and Implications · doi:10.1186/s41235-026-00738-6
“Some studies report that FPS players show improvements in working memory without corresponding gains in action inhibition (Colzato et al., 2013), whereas others suggest that extensive action video game engagement may be related to heightened impulsivity or reduced cognitive control in certain…”
Liao, Y., & Li, Q. (2026) · Advanced Exercise and Health Science · doi:10.1016/j.aehs.2026.06.001
Yang, S., Mengfan, Z., Wang, T., Yang, X., & Zhao, X. (2026) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2026.102968
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Yalçıner, S., & ÖZDAYI, N. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0360942
“In line with the study results, Colzato et al. [66] stated that action games, especially FPS games, contribute to the development of cognitive flexibility.”
Metadata
- Authors
- Colzato, L. S., van den Wildenberg, W. P. M., Zmigrod, S., & Hommel, B.
- Affiliations
- Leiden University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Colzato, Lorenza S.
- Venue
- Psychological Research
- Published
- 2012-01-22
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 234-239
- ISSN
- 0033-3026 (ISSN-L)
- 0340-0727
- 1430-2772
- OpenAlex
- W2158834402
- Cited by
- 256
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 19.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychological Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Keywords
- action video games, first-person shooter games, cognitive control, working memory, response inhibition, impulsivity, n-back task, stop-signal task, video game experience
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Video Games, Young Adult, Executive Function
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