title: Differential Effects of Music and Video Gaming During Breaks on Auditory and Visual Learning.
abstract: The interruption of learning processes by breaks filled with diverse activities is common in everyday life. This study investigated the effects of active computer gaming and passive relaxation (rest and music) breaks on auditory versus visual memory performance. Young adults were exposed to breaks involving (a) open eyes resting, (b) listening to music, and (c) playing a video game, immediately after memorizing auditory versus visual stimuli. To assess learning performance, words were recalled directly after the break (an 8:30 minute delay) and were recalled and recognized again after 7 days. Based on linear mixed-effects modeling, it was found that playing the Angry Birds video game during a short learning break impaired long-term retrieval in auditory learning but enhanced long-term retrieval in visual learning compared with the music and rest conditions. These differential effects of video games on visual versus auditory learning suggest specific interference of common break activities on learning.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany .
authors.forename: Shuyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany .
authors.forename: Maxim S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kuschpel
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany .
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schad
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany .
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin , Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany .|2 Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, Universität Potsdam , Potsdam, Germany .
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rapp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009146:Music; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018910:Video Games; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult