Abstract
Cognitive control is the most fundamental psychological function that underlies the execution of many other psychological functions. A mobile game application could be a useful strategy to evaluate cognitive control in the groups of children and adolescents. Although a serious game that is based on gamification would be an optimal platform for the administration of behavioral and clinical assessments of children and adolescents, most studies on gamification have been conducted among adults and older adults than among children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess cognitive control using a mobile game that used gamification and compared the results to those from traditional neuropsychological tests for children and adolescents. In order to address this objective, this study used a serious game, namely, “CoCon,” which was developed to assess cognitive control in children and adolescents. This study included 100 participants from a community sample (mean age = 11.75 years, ranged from 9 to 16 years, SD = 1.40 years; Male = 59(59%), Female = 41(41%)). The analyses interrogated the relationships among various game behaviors scores of CoCon, the standardized neuropsychological tests (K-WISC-IV, CTT, and Stroop), and self-reporting executive function difficulty questionnaire. As results, a mobile game application-based assessment proved to be a reliable and valid measure of the cognitive control in children and adolescents. The index scores from the CoCon were significantly related to various cognitive control functions and differentiated between the high and low cognitive control groups. Specifically, even though the participants completed the mobile game ‘CoCon’ in their natural habitats, the CoCon scores were comparable to the measures from standard neuropsychological tests. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that mobile games that use advanced technology and sophisticated psychological strategies can serve as a new and expanded platform for the administration of psychological assessments.
Highlights
Advancements in mobile devices across the past decade have tremendously transformed lifestyle in modern society
Scores for performance on the Stroop test, CTT2, and Executive Function Difficulty Questionnaire were within the average range
The 4 participants with minor mental health problems were included in the low cognitive control group
Summary
Advancements in mobile devices across the past decade have tremendously transformed lifestyle in modern society. Mobile applications have emerged as the core components that have led to these tremendous changes, and various health-related fields are rapidly embracing the use of these technologies in their research investigations. Cooper, Fabiani, Carter, and Karayanidis [7] described that cognitive control is a core concept in modern cognitive neuroscience. It described that cognitive control is the set of mechanisms that are arranged in tasks demanding flexibility at one or multiple levels. The neural mechanism that underlies cognitive control is characterized by extensive interconnectivity
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