Abstract
Electronic games, were driven by the widespread use of interactive digital technologies, wich became popular among young people who incorporate it into their daily lives. The Brazilian’s university students, whose the majority is young, were asked about the use frequency their use of video games and these interactive technologies in an attempt to establish associations between the use of electronic games and the executive functions related to attention and problem-solving ability. These functions are evaluated by participants trough behaviors described that can be as indicators related to attention and problem solving. The sample was composed by 620 students from 15-61 years (143 men and 457 women) from seven Brazilian states who answered an online questionnaire. The results point to an association between the frequency of the use of electronic games and attention, especially related to the ability to do more than one task at the same time and the fact that they priorize the accuracy rather than speed. From this, it is inferred to conclude that electronic games are constituted as an interactive and immersive experience that can influence the performance of various cognitive abilities in this population.
Keywords
Attention; Computer games; Mental processes; Problem solving