Evaluating the Cognitive Consequences of Playing Portal for a Short Duration

Learning physics often requires overcoming common misconceptions based on naïve interpretations of observations in the everyday world. One proposed way to help learners build appropriate physics intuitions is to expose them to computer simulations in which motion is based on Newtonian principles. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of educational computing research 2016-04, Vol.54 (2), p.173-195
Main Authors: Adams, Deanne M., Pilegard, Celeste, Mayer, Richard E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
California
Cognition
Comparative Analysis
Computer Games
Computer Simulation
Construction
Correlation
Education
Educational Games
Games
Intuition
Learning
Motion
Newton Theory
Perspective Taking
Physics
Pretests Posttests
Problem Solving
Puzzles
Questionnaires
Science Instruction
Simulated Environment
Skills
Spatial Ability
Statistical Analysis
STEM Education
Teaching Methods
Technology Uses in Education
Thinking Skills
Undergraduate Students
Video Games
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Summary:Learning physics often requires overcoming common misconceptions based on naïve interpretations of observations in the everyday world. One proposed way to help learners build appropriate physics intuitions is to expose them to computer simulations in which motion is based on Newtonian principles. In addition, playing video games that require spatial processing may also facilitate the development of spatial skills that have been associated with learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas. Two studies were conducted to examine whether playing the first-person perspective puzzle game Portal causes improvements in physics intuitions and spatial cognition skills. In Experiment 1, college students played Portal, the two-dimensional puzzle game Tetris, or the anagram game TextTwist for 75 minutes. There were no significant differences on measures of naïve physics reasoning (selected from the Force Concept Inventory) or measures of spatial cognition (mental rotation and perspective taking). To determine whether Portal could influence formal physics learning, in Experiment 2 participants viewed a brief lesson on Newton’s laws of motion after playing one of the three games for 1 hour. The groups did not differ on subsequent tests of physics learning. This study shows that Portal was not successful in priming intuitions about motion or spatial abilities related to physics learning.
ISSN:0735-6331
1541-4140
DOI:10.1177/0735633115620431