游戏训练提高幼儿自我控制能力:来自ERP的证据

Games Training Improves Self-control Ability in Preschool Children: Evidences from ERP

游戏是激发幼儿兴趣的有效载体,已有研究表明游戏可以提高幼儿自我控制的外显行为表现,但未考察是否能够引起幼儿自我控制相关的电生理变化。本研究将幼儿按班级随机分为实验组和对照组,实验组的幼儿接受一学期的游戏训练,对照组不参加训练,进行自由活动,训练前后所有幼儿完成Go/No Go任务的ERP测试,评定自我控制能力。结果发现:实验组后测中No Go任务的N2和P3成分(分别表示为No Go-N2和No Go-P3)平均波幅均显著小于前测,而对照组前后测波幅无变化;同时,后测实验组中No Go-N2平均波幅显著小于对照组。结果表明,游戏训练可促进幼儿自我控制相关大脑系统的发展,为自我控制游戏训练的效果提供了电生理证据。。

Self-control is the ability to control impulses, resist temptations, and avoid interference from irrelevant things. Early childhood is a period of rapid development in self-control. Self-control in early childhood can predict the performance of adolescence and adulthood, so there is considerable interest in the early interventions of self-control. Several studies have reported that self-control ability can be improved by educational games, but seldom have demonstrated neurophysiological changes in preschool children in response to gaming related to self-control. The present study used educational games to train preschool children＇s＇ self-control abilities, and used ERPs to examine the neurophysiological effect of gaming. Fifty preschool children from kindergarten （25 males; mean age： 4.04） were randomly assigned in terms of classes to either the training group （to-be-trained） or the control （untrained） group. The training group （13 males; mean age： 3.92） received game training of a semester. Control group （12 males; mean age： 4.16） was free when the training group was training. The training program included six self-designed educational games for improving self-control. And all participants completed tests before and after training. The test program was a visual Go/No-Go task of stimulating pictures that consisted of pictures of mice with white eyes or red eyes, and EEG was recorded. Electrophysiological data were collected from the scalp using a 64-channel system. These data are submitted to repeated-measure analysis of variance （MANOVA） with factors of Session （before and after training）, Group （Untrained and Trained） and electrode site （Fc3, Fc2, Fc4 or P3, P2, P4）. The electrode site includes Fc3, Fc2, Fc4 when N2 is examined. The electrode site included P3, P2, P4 when P3 was examined. For the behavioral data of the Go/No-Go task, under the condition of No-Go, subjects did not need to respond. Therefore, there was no reaction time. On accuracy, the results of MANOVA showed that the difference of main effect was significant between before and after training. The accuracy improved compared with before the training. However, there is no significant difference in the main effects between the training and the control group. Also, there was no significant difference in the interaction effect between the group and session. In addition, ERP data of the Go/No-Go task showed a significant difference in amplitude between the training group and control group for the before and after training. After training, the amplitudes of NoGo-N2 components in 330-550ms and NoGo-P3 components in 570-650ms were smaller than that of before training for the training group, but no difference was found in control group. In addition, the amplitudes of the N2 and P3 were related to self-control, which was demonstrated in the references. Meanwhile, the results of ANOVA indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups before training, which demonstrated that the self-control ability of two groups were consistent before training. The present study is the first to examine the neurophysiological effect of gaming, and provides further evidence for the effects of gaming on self- control skill. Preschool teachers may apply game activities to daily teaching to promote the development of preschool children＇s self-control.