The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Differential effect of motivational features on training improvements in school-based cognitive training
Open accessAbstract
Cognitive training often utilizes game-like motivational features to keep participants engaged. It is unclear how these elements, such as feedback, reward, and theming impact player performance during training. Recent research suggests that motivation and engagement are closely related to improvements following cognitive training. We hypothesized that training paradigms featuring game-like motivational elements would be more effective than a version with no motivational elements. Five distinct motivational features were chosen for examination: a real-time scoring system, theme changes, prizes, end-of-session certificates, and scaffolding to explain the lives and leveling system included in the game. One version of the game was created with all these motivational elements included, and one was created with all of them removed. Other versions removed a single element at a time. Seven versions of a game-like n-back working memory task were then created and administered to 128 students in second through eight grade at school-based summer camps in southeastern Michigan. The inclusion of real-time scoring during play, a popular motivational component in both entertainment games and cognitive training, was found to negatively impact training improvements over the three day period. Surprisingly, scaffolding to explain lives and levels also negatively impacted training gains. The other game adjustments did not significantly impact training improvement compared to the original version of the game with all features included. These findings are preliminary and are limited by both the small sample size and the brevity of the intervention. Nonetheless, these findings suggest that certain motivational elements may distract from the core cognitive training task, reducing task improvement, especially at the initial stage of learning.
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In the citing paper
“and none of the conditions made any difference on subjective motivation scores.”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“The fully gamified condition had one of the shallowest improvement slopes”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“They compared training improvement across conditions and found that the greatest training effect was caused by versions with minimal motivational features.”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“and there were some indications that it may actually worsen it [17,18,34,36].”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“However, Katz et al [34] and Miranda and Palmer [36] highlight that this can be difficult balancing act, with several game mechanics having unforeseen deleterious effects on performance.”
From Gamification of Cognitive Assessment and Cognitive Training: A Systematic Review of Applications and Efficacy (2016) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“Thus, and consistent with previous studies, motivation this result highlights the importance of considering individual motivation through training, since it is related to greater improvements that could result in greater transfer effects (Mather and Carstensen, 2005; Jaeggi et al., 2013; Katz et al., 2014).”
From Training on Working Memory and Inhibitory Control in Young Adults (2016) · cites this paper as Katz et al., 2014
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Cites
The motivational pull of video games: a self-determination theory approach
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Malone, T. W. (1981) · Cognitive Science · doi:10.1207/s15516709cog0504_2 · Cited by 2,197
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Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0801268105 · Cited by 2,187
Self-citationComputerized training of working memory in children with ADHD – a randomized, controlled trial
Klingberg, T., Fernell, E., Olesen, P. J., Johnson, M., Gustafsson, P., Dahlström, K., Gillberg, C. G., Forssberg, H., & Westerberg, H. (2005) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00004583-200502000-00010 · Cited by 1,949
Video game training enhances cognitive control in older adults
Anguera, J. A., Boccanfuso, J., Rintoul, J. L., Al-Hashimi, O., Faraji, F., Janowich, J., Kong, E., Larraburo, Y., Rolle, C., Johnston, E., et al. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature12486 · Cited by 1,666
A Motivational Model of Video Game Engagement
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“Psychologists who study motivation are also interested in gamebased motivational features (Ryan et al., 2006; Przybylski et al., 2010), possibly because games are an ideal context for understanding the tension between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic reward.”
BackgroundLepper, M. R., Corpus, J. H., & Iyengar, S. S. (2005) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.97.2.184 · Cited by 1,298
Training, maturation, and genetic influences on the development of executive attention
Rueda, M. R., Rothbart, M. K., McCandliss, B. D., Saccomanno, L., & Posner, M. I. (2005) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0506897102 · Cited by 1,110
Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S. E., & Dunning, D. L. (2009) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00848.x · Cited by 961
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Toups, 2009, “Motivating play through score,†in, ACM Computer Human Interaction 2009 Workshop on Engagement by Design
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Lumsden, J., Edwards, E. A., Lawrence, N. S., Coyle, D., & Munafò, M. R. (2016) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/games.5888 · Cited by 555
“It is possible that even this minimal gamification was enough to induce increased motivation and that adding “distracting” game elements such as persistent score display may have a negative impact on performance by inducing unneeded stress or new cognitive demands [34].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialThe effects of gamification on computerized cognitive training: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Vermeir, J. F., White, M. J., Johnson, D., Crombez, G., & Van Ryckeghem, D. M. L. (2020) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/18644 · Cited by 172
Video games, cognitive exercises, and the enhancement of cognitive abilities
Anguera, J. A., & Gazzaley, A. H. (2015) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.06.002 · Cited by 140
Serious games for health: three steps forwards
Drummond, D., Hadchouel, A., & Tesnière, A. (2017) · Advances in Simulation · doi:10.1186/s41077-017-0036-3 · Cited by 135
Cognitive Bias Modification for adolescents with substance use problems – Can serious games help?
Boendermaker, W. J., Prins, P. J. M., & Wiers, R. W. H. J. (2015) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.03.008 · Cited by 103
Metadata
- Authors
- Katz, B., Jaeggi, S., Buschkuehl, M., Stegman, A., & Shah, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- MIND Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Katz, Benjamin
- Venue
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2014-04-24
- Volume
- 8
- Pages
- 242-242
- ISSN
- 1662-5161 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4006056
- OpenAlex
- W2097579685
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 17.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- VTechWorks (Virginia Tech) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Keywords
- cognitive training, game-based learning, real-time scoring, scaffolding, transfer of training, student engagement
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