Video games and its positive effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Video games and its positive effects - Essay Example A lot of research has been conducted in this regard and there exists useful information from psychologists that point to the relationship between video games and intelligence. According to Carmel et al. (2009), video games are a great avenue for learning and developing skills and expertise as individuals commit their time in the play. Scholars from different fields have recognized video games as being very beneficial to players. In as much as the video games have negative effects on the players, there are a wide range of positive effects that people can get from playing these games. This essay will seek to address the positive impact of video games on individuals in terms of their intelligence and social interaction among other benefits. Renowned psychologist Shawn Green from the University of Wisconsin supported the claim that video games are in fact useful in brain development of players, thereby improving their intelligence (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). He acknowledges that the video games alter the physical structure of one’s brain in as much as reading and learning to play a piano does to an individual. He compares the effect of a combination of concentration and the rewarding surges of neurotransmitters such as dopamine to the brain to the effect that physical body exercise has on building muscles (Olthouse, 2009). Video games help to strengthen the neural circuits which lead to brain development among the video game players. Video games help to enhance a wide range of skills among the players, which in turn improves the intelligence of the players (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Some of the skills developed by video games include the aspect of following instructions, problem solving skills and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multi tasking, quick thinking and decision making, strategy and anticipation, estimating skills, memory and concentration, situation awareness among other skills. Video games are enjoyable to play as well as being addictive and the players play the games in order to become victorious over the opponents or to successfully complete missions in a specific game. This requires good decision making, strategizing and concentration on the part of the players. The video games enhance the ability of the players in following instructions. The games require players to perform various things in order to achieve specific goals in the game. By following these instructions, the players get to develop their intelligence in terms of following instructions whenever they want to complete a task or achieve certain objectives. The players, through coming up with strategies to complete their missions and achieve their objectives in the game, they learn how to develop their problem solving skills and development of logic (Green, & Bavelier, 2004). Games such as Angry Birds and The Incredible Machine are very great in developing problem solving skills since they require players to solve some challenging task s in the game. Other games, such as the shooting games, help to develop the players’ hand-eye coordination. In the shooting games, the character can be engaged in both shooting and running and the player needs to ensure both are done simultaneously in order to be successful in the mission. This process also requires great coordination between the players’ hands and eyes as they play. This in turn works on developing the mental skills of the players. Research has shown that

Seperate program for gifted and talented students (History of Research Paper

Seperate program for gifted and talented students (History of Education) - Research Paper Example with extra support so that they can achieve what they are capable of achieving instead of being restricted by the same curriculum delivered to the whole body of students. A number of factors can affect the ability of gifted and talented students to achieve, even if they are provided with additional stimulating material, and these include their physical (health) and emotional (psychological) states, degree of interest, the relationship with their teacher, and their learning environment. Nonetheless, we shall consider two reasons supporting separate programs for gifted and talented students as well as two reasons for not supporting such programs. The main argument for supporting them is that by not doing so, there are missed opportunities for the students themselves and also the society in which they could have made useful contributions. Research by the National Commission on Excellence in Education highlighted that over half of gifted school students in the U.S. fail to meet their tested ability with comparable achievement (NCEE, 1983). Although this is an old assessment, the situation is not much different nowadays. The present No child left behind policy for example does not cater to gifted students. Thus, many gifted children are not being given the opportunity to exploit their talents. They are simply not being sufficiently challenged (Pulliam & Patten, 2006, p.185). Even the 2011 education budget has been described as a missed opportunity by the Council for Exceptional Children and the Education Act does not directly address the unique learning needs of gifted students (Shinn, 2009). Another reason for supporting gifte d students is that due to their untapped potential and being in asynchronous development, they tend to be more vulnerable (CDI, 2010). Being asynchronous means that their intellectual capacities could be developing at a greater rate than their physical and emotional capacities. Therefore, it is important to help gifted students lest their