Effectiveness of Cognitive Computer Games on Risky Decision making in Children with Externalizing Behavioral Disorders

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.A. of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Professor, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical College, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

4 Associate Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive computer games on risky decision-making in children with externalizing behavioral disorders. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group was conducted. The population of this study included 8- to 11-year-old male students during the 2020-2021 school year. Their behavioral assessments were conducted by the Children's Behavioral Checklist (CBCL), and those with high scores for externalizing disorders were identified in Tehran. Furthermore, 20 of those with high scores in externalizing behavioral disorders were selected and divided randomly into experimental (10) and control (10) groups. For a month, the experimental group received 24 sessions of individual training. Risky decision-making was measured using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) by Lejuez (2002). The experimental group played cognitive games for 24 sessions. Meanwhile the control group received no intervention and waited in the waiting list to receive the intervention after the end of this study. The obtained data analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). The findings showed significant differences between the experimental and the control group in risky decision-making in the participating students with externalizing disorders. Finally, the study indicated that cognitive games could decrease risky decision-making in students with externalizing disorders (maximum risky decision-making of 0.30 and minimum of 0.49). As a result, cognitive games can be used along with other interventions for children with externalizing disorders in different settings.

Keywords

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 31 July 2022
  • Revise Date: 05 August 2022
  • Accept Date: 24 September 2022

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