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Surprising Science

Video Games Improve Performance

"Video-games players develop an enhanced sensitivity to what is going on around them and that this may help with activities such as multitasking, driving and reading small print."

“Video-games players develop an enhanced sensitivity to what is going on around them and that this may help with activities such as multitasking, driving, reading small print, navigation and keeping track of friends or children in a crowd. The precise neural mechanism for this effect, however, is still unknown. What is known is that people make decisions based on probabilities that are constantly being calculated and refined in their heads—something called ‘probabilistic interference’. The brain collects small pieces of information, eventually gathering enough to make an accurate decision. The more efficient someone is at collecting visual and auditory information, the faster he can reach the threshold needed to make a decision.”


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