Publication Date
Fall 2013
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Ronald F. Rogers
Keywords
Academic Achievement, Attention Restoration Theory, Computer Games, Learning, Study Break, Virtual Nature
Subject Areas
Educational psychology; Cognitive psychology; Experimental psychology
Abstract
This thesis addresses how attention restoration pertains to subsequent academic learning and whether natural video game settings facilitate attention restoration like physical environments. The researcher hypothesized that participants who played in a virtual nature setting of a video game would perform better on a comprehension test and obtain greater improvements on the SART from pretest to posttest than the simulated urban group. In addition, the experimenter expected the nature group to perform better on both of the aforementioned measures when given 15 min to play rather than 5 min. Finally, it was hypothesized that improvement on the SART would be positively correlated with performance on the comprehension test. However, these hypotheses were not supported by the results of this study. This thesis concludes with reasons for the lack of support, such as the apparent failure of the SART to adequately deplete participant attention, and offers several future directions for research.
Recommended Citation
Zoland, Joseph Daniel, "Attention Restoration Theory in Gaming as it Pertains to Subsequent Academic Learning" (2013). Master's Theses. 4407.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.c4hr-bys8
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4407