Teaching Empathy With Video Games
Teaching Empathy With Video Games
Teaching Empathy With Video Games
By Theodore Stark
August 13, 2018
Summary
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison investigated whether video games could positively impact emotional development in children aged 8-18, a critical period coinciding with significant brain development and exposure to challenges like bullying and anxiety. Published in npj Science of Learning, their study divided 150 middle-schoolers into two groups: one played an empathy-focused experimental game, the other a non-empathetic commercial game. After just two weeks, the experimental group exhibited increased connectivity in empathy-related brain networks and altered neural connections in emotion regulation areas, contrasting with the control group. These findings highlight video games' potential for enhancing neural development during crucial brain maturation stages.
Reference
Stark, T. (2018, August 13). Teaching empathy with video games. Studio QuickFacts. https://studioquickfacts.com/teaching-empathy-with-video-games-aa343e91b496