Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? Nandanie Harbhajan Department of Behavioral Sciences INTRODUCTION MATERIALS & METHODS CONCLUSIONS Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention. This game is all about learning and testing their skills to see how aware they are and whether they can stay on track. The participants are learning how to memorize information from the videos they watch. The amount of information they remembered can explain how long or short they have been paying attention. Does it depend on a certain age whether a kid suffers from a shorter attention span? Does attention span deficiency depend on the game being played? How does computer games and board games differ from each other? Which set of tool has the most significant impact children’s lives? Does computers prove to be more beneficial than board games and card games? Objectives The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. The learning experience in the game is for players to try to gain as much information as possible from just by watching a video. It’s going to test them on how long the subject can stay interested without entering their own world. Short term (ST) and Long term (LT) would be labeled on the board with objects. A red Christmas present sticker represents short term memory, while the blue Christmas present box represents long time memory. Those would be based on who answered those questions asked. In total 20 questions was asked, and the participants got to choose from 4 sections. One set of index cards would consist of questions that needs to be asked, while the back of the index cards will have the answers to the questions being asked. Representing the participants will also be fun stickers. The Christmas tree would represent the female participants, while the candy cane represented the male participants. Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment. Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. Subjects In total 4 subjects would be the main participants. There would be 2 males and 2 females. The 2 females would be in their 20’s and the 2 males would be around 17 years old. The subjects are kids who have long term and short term memory. They are also sampled based on how well their attention span is. If someone is easily distracted or can completely focus, they would definitely be a part of this process. These kids were recruited from my family household. The average age was kids who range from ages17-25. They were both genders. High school education and college education was required. These kids were from all over the world. The participants were promised college credits or food such as empanadas or quesadillas. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the other two participants from the control group. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to. Apparatus Materials used to collect data were questionnaires, along with one session per week for a month. They were shown a movie called Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and afterwards required to answer questions. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 4, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. The last week of this week, both males who had short attention spans had tied with the two females who have long attention span. Each participant from these two groups tied with the other person from the other group. One male got 9 questions correct, while one female participant also got 9 correct. One male got 11 questions correct, and the other female got 11 questions correct. This study relates to real life because for example, if you are a journalist, you have to make sure the work you are publishing is facts, because if it’s not, you can be sued. This game does exist as an economy, because the people are playing a role in deciding whether having a long attention span or a short attention span should determine how much information one truly memorizes. Some problems that are still remaining, is if you switch up the questions in different orders would those with short term memory still recognize the questions, even if you aren’t going in order. How effective is the game? Future problems also consist of what do you do when the game ends in the tie. Do you have a tie-breaker? Procedure In this experiment there were two groups which both consist of 2 main subjects each. Both groups were required to fill out questionnaires that asked them to answer questions based of how well they think their focusing skills are. Subjects in each condition were asked to attend their sessions. This experiment lasted 1 month, and data was collected every week. At the end of every week, participants were given questions to answer based on what they experience that week. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive reflection based on how well they concentrated. Results Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment. Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 3, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information.   References Chan, P. A., &Rabinowitz, T. (2006). A cross-sectional analysis of video games and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adolescents. Annals Of General Psychiatry, 516. Lawrence, V., Houghton, S., Douglas, G., Durkin, K., Whiting, K., & Tannock, R. (2004). Executive function and ADHD: a comparison of children's performance during neuropsychological testing and real-world activities. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 7(3), 137-149. Tahiroglu, A. Y., Celik, G. G., Avci, A., Seydaoglu, G., Uzel, M., &Altunbas, H. (2010). Short-term effects of playing computer games on attention. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 13(6), 668-676. doi:10.1177/1087054709347205 Bioulac, S., Lallemand, S., Fabrigoule, C., Thoumy, A., Philip, P., & Bouvard, M. P. (2014). Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 18(6), 542-550. doi:10.1177/1087054712443702 Acknowledgments and Contact I would like to thank all of my participants . If you have any questions, please feel free to c email me at Nandanie.Harbhajan@yorkmail.cuny.edu