On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 11:59:52 AM UTC-7, Glenn Fisher wrote:
That's a very cogent observation. Minds shaped by video gaming work differently than the minds shaped by pinball, bowling, and baseball. This is at the crux of recruiting new pilots.







In another thread, someone commented that younger students tend to gaze straight ahead and are less inclined to scan left-right. The OP attributed this to the habit of focusing on a screen and ignoring the distractions to the left, right, above, and below. I wonder if that is an accurate observation/diagnosis.





I have found that the opposite is true. My personal non-scientific analysis is that younger students who are proficient at video games and flight simulators have a better scan and better situational awareness. I used to coach people on the ASTB and the "spatial apperception" portion of the test is like a paper based video game. Granted, the same skills needed on that part of the test could also be honed flying model airplanes. Below is a link to a TED talk about the effect of fast paced video games on the brain. It is counter to the common "wisdom" that video games "rot your brain." The data from this study shows that action video games improve scan, reaction time, multitasking ability, etc.



TED Talk - Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games



http://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_bave...deo_games.html

I agree, Glenn.

The CAP cadets I fly with are always looking everywhere. It's the oldsters with scanning problems. Maybe a lifetime watching TV and computers screens have so stiffened their neck muscles they can't turn their heads anymore.. Try looking over your shoulder. Does it make your neck hurt? Aha!