Positive effects of digital technology

digital tools such as computers, video games, and laptops that are used to process and store information

a mental operation or "thought-pattern" used to acquire, store, retrieve, and utilize information, representing how the mind interprets experience.

Digital technology can have positive effects on cognition, particularly in relation to working memory and attentional control.

the cognitive process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information, acting as an active, reconstructive system rather than a perfect recorder. Digital Tech can negativily effect memory

A limited capacity store for retaining information for a brief period while performing mental operations on that information

One positive effect is the enhancement of working memory through digital interaction.

To investigate the effects of digital technology (video gaming) on visuo-spatial working memory

lab experiment
34 male undergraduates were recruited through advertisements. Before beginning the study, students had to do a video game experience questionnaire and they could only participate in the study in they hadn't played any action games in the past year.
They were then split into two groups, the action game training group played Call of Duty whereas the control group played Sims 3. Each group played their respective game for 30 hours over 30 days.
One of the measures of visuospatial memory was a change detection paradigm.
The paradigm involved the students being presented with a memory array of 4-6 colored squares. The memory and test array were the same apart from on half of the trials, the color of one square was different between the two arrays
Participants had to identify whether the two arrays were the same or different

The action game group showed significantly improved visual attention and faster reaction times in detecting stimuli.
They also demonstrated greater cognitive flexibility, meaning they could switch between tasks more efficiently.
The control group showed little to no improvement.
Researchers concluded that action video games enhance cognitive skills, particularly visual attention and task-switching ability.

This suggests that exposure to fast-paced digital environments may improve the ability to process and update information efficiently

Testability: The study used an experimental design, which allows for high control over variables such as type of training (action video games vs control tasks). This increases internal validity because changes in cognitive performance can more confidently be attributed to the video game training. However, the controlled environment may reduce ecological validity, as playing video games in a lab setting for a short duration may not reflect real-world gaming habits or long-term cognitive effects.

Application: The findings have strong real-world applications. They suggest that video games could be used in educational settings, cognitive training programmes, and even rehabilitation for attention-related conditions such as ADHD, where improving attentional control is beneficial. However, applying video games as interventions may be overly simplistic. Individual differences (e.g. motivation, prior gaming experience, age) may affect outcomes, meaning the effectiveness of such applications may not be consistent across populations.

Unbiased: The study included both male and female participants, which reduces gender bias and improves population validity compared to more restricted samples. However, if the sample consisted mainly of young participants (common in cognitive experiments), this limits generalisability to older adults, whose cognitive plasticity and gaming experience may differ significantly.

digital technology can improve attentional control and executive functioning

McAvinue et al (2013)