David Uttal et al. (2013)

Who and when

David Uttal et al. (2013)

Method

Meta-analysis

Aim

To examine the effects of playing shooter video games on spatial skills

Procedure

Looked at various studies that looked at the impact of  video games on various spatial tasks (spatial skills, mental rotation, spatial perception)

Findings

Uttal et al. noticed a significant positive effect on spatial skills, specifically shooter games.

Conclusion

This analysis suggests that shooter video games significantly positively affect spatial and problem-solving skills.

Strengths

• A varied and large sample size makes it easier to generalize findings to a broader population.

• Findings are less likely biased because the data comes from various studies led by different researchers using different methods.

Limitations

• Publication bias may lead to a positively or negatively biased data sample.

• Selection bias might affect whether negative studies have an equal chance of being chosen for the analysis.