Pre-schooler Use of Computer Games and Eye-Hand Coordination and Spatial Cognitive Skills

Abstract

This study focuses upon the important role that playing computer games may have in developing media literacy. It involved an examination of the effects of playing computer games upon eye-hand coordination and spatial cognitive skills of preschool children as measured using two standardized paper-and-pencil tests of such coordination and skills, as well as through the use of two computer games which required these abilities. Thirty-five children participated in the exploratory study. They were assigned to either an "expert" group (those who regularly played computer games) or to a "novice" group (those who had no experience in playing computer games). The results of subjecting the resulting scores to an analysis of variance showed that, in comparison to the novice group, the expert group scored significantly higher on both the standardized tests as well as on the computer games. It was also found that the scores on computer games which required eye-hand coordination as well as those which required spatial cognitive skills were both correlated to the standardized tests. From this, it was concluded that experience at using computer games contributes to improving eye-hand coordination and spatial cognitive skills in pre-school children.