Cognitive Styles and Impulsivity of Videogamers with Different Levels of Gaming Activity and Preference of Different Game Types (Online ond Offline) (in Russian)

Abstract

Contemporary cyberpsychological studies of gamers show strong interrelation of their cognitive and personal characteristics with global cognitive parameters: functions of cognitive control and cognitive styles, which, in their turn, according to the hypothesis of M.A. Kholodnaya, are connected to automatic intellectual control. The study, conducted on adult subjects (mean age  24± 5) with different level of computer game activity and preference of various types of games (online and offline), found differences in cognitive style specifics of the gamers and the control group. The cognitive style specifics (high reflexivity and field-independence) were more characteristic of offline gamers, high risk tolerance – of online gamers. The obtained results show heterogeneity of computer game activity and confirm exploitability of computer games division on these two types. The level of computer game activity is also connected to certain cognitive style and personal specifics. The most active gamers are characterized by the most overt field-independence, flexible cognitive control and high risk tolerance, while the less active gamers are characterized by reflective cognitive style.