Published research showing that academic achievement can be predicted through the use of cognitive assessments include the tests of working memory, pattern matching, and cognitive skills known as chunking. This has led to the popularity of games and products such as Brain Training and Mind Fitness. Sadly, all these games appear to do is to teach the player how to pass the cognitive test. As we know, practice make perfect and by practicing a cognitive test, the participant will always get better and achieve higher scores. However, does this lead to improved academic achievement?
Movement based games such as Dance Dance revolution (DDR) have been used extensively for physical therapy to treat both obesity in children and for general exercise of young and old alike. However, there has been no research linking any of these movement games with an improvement in cognitive abilities. Our research has shown that players of both DDR and Guitar Hero use Visual searching, pattern matching, and memory chunking as they progress through the levels. Interestingly, they perform these cognitive tasks this without being aware of what they are called. These games place a high cognitive load on working memory. A 4-minute DDR song requires over 1600 dance pad moves, each move is observed, recognized, converted, memorized, and then actioned; up to 7 times per second. Pattern recognition and the rapid conversion to a sequence, chunking these sequences, and storing temporarily would involve the visuo-spatial sketchpad component of working memory.
Many teaching institutions, such as the Scottish Centre for Learning, have introduced Brain Training games into their classroom in the belief that it will improve the cognitive skills of the students. If exercising cognitive skills increases academic achievement, then perhaps movement based games such as DDR should also be included into the mainstream curriculum.