Desarrollo de las funciones ejecutivas a través de videojuegos en la atención a la diversidad

Abstract

Video games have become a ubiquitous part of society and a great deal of research has been conducted into effects of video games on typically developing children and adults. Current studies have generally found positive effects of video-games training on cognitive function. However, only a few works have been devoted to video game play in people with special needs. For this reason, the main purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of video game training on executive functions and memory of people with special needs. To this aim, two intervention programs were elaborated and several measures were obtained before and after training. Results showed improvements in some but not all executive functions and enhanced verbal memory, particularly in the use of semantic strategies. The implications of these results for people with special needs are discussed and suggestions are provided for future research.