PLAY

Throughout the animal kingdom, one can find examples of playful activities – particularly during development. Play is enjoyable in part because it is optional, and is not directed towards any particular goal. Nonetheless, play appears to confer important benefits by fueling learning and strengthening social bonds. Indeed, play may play a more central role in cognitive and physical development than is usually appreciated. Because it is intrinsically motivating, it has the potential to fuel learning. Yet, play falls by the wayside when there are more pressing needs, as is often the case in low-income or chaotic households.

The time is ripe for large-scale research exploring whether intensive practice playing cognitively demanding games can transfer to improved performance in school – and, if so, when, for whom, for how long, and how. To this end, the lab is embarking on a collaboration with Bill Ritchie and Charlotte Fixler of ThinkFun, makers of ingenious board games like Chocolate Fix and Rush Hour. We have used their games and others’ in published research on the positive cognitive effects of game play in children: PDF  We are currently seeking the necessary funding to replicate and extend our promising initial findings at UC Berkeley. Additionally, the lab will soon begin conducting research on the benefits of play in collaboration with Frontiers of Innovation at select sites in the state of Washington. Professor Bunge and the lab do not stand to gain financially from the sale of these games.

Professor Bunge draws on her scientific background to help design engaging cognitive exercises for preschoolers in close collaboration with Drs. Bill Jenkins and Logan de Ley at Scientific Learning Corporation, Professors Bob Siegler at Carnegie Mellon University and

Virginia Mann at UC Irvine, and others. The first game in this new KinderSpark series is a highly-rated iPad game called Eddy’s Number Party. The second game, due out shortly, is Eddy’s Doggy Diner. Professor Bunge and the lab do not stand to gain financially from the sale of these games. To inquire about the possibility of using KinderSpark exercises in research, please e-mail Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Bill Jenkins <wmjenk@scilearn.com>