Video Game Reward
Reiss et al (2008) used fMRI to examine differences in brain activation during video game play. The simplified video game used in the experiment was not explained, but all the participants figured out the object of the game, and seemed motivated to succeed. Greater activation in the "reward systems" of the brain, and areas associated with addiction have led the authors to suggest that: "these gender differences may help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become 'hooked' on video games than females."
The researchers used a couple of behavioral variables to correlate with their imaging results: the number of balls clicked (equal for men and women) and the amount of territory gained (men more successful than women). Lead author Allan Reis espouses an evolutionary psychology explanation for why men excelled at the territory control part of the game: "I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species-they're the males." (Stanford PR, 2008)
Other studies we've looked at ( 10/9/07) have played up the mental rotation/3-D space angle for video games, but this game was two-dimensional and abstract, the sort of game that video game industry folks say appeal more to women ( 11/30/07). The authors say that both men and women "got" the game, but it's really not clear to me that they did if there were more points available for some balls than others, and the men figured this out but the women didn't. The main finding that I was able to glean from my reading is that men's success was associated with mesocorticolimbic activation, but that women's success wasn't. If greater reward = greater motivation = greater success in men, which is what the authors seem to be implying, then what does the lack of association of these variables mean about women?
The researchers used a couple of behavioral variables to correlate with their imaging results: the number of balls clicked (equal for men and women) and the amount of territory gained (men more successful than women). Lead author Allan Reis espouses an evolutionary psychology explanation for why men excelled at the territory control part of the game: "I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species-they're the males." (Stanford PR, 2008)
Other studies we've looked at ( 10/9/07) have played up the mental rotation/3-D space angle for video games, but this game was two-dimensional and abstract, the sort of game that video game industry folks say appeal more to women ( 11/30/07). The authors say that both men and women "got" the game, but it's really not clear to me that they did if there were more points available for some balls than others, and the men figured this out but the women didn't. The main finding that I was able to glean from my reading is that men's success was associated with mesocorticolimbic activation, but that women's success wasn't. If greater reward = greater motivation = greater success in men, which is what the authors seem to be implying, then what does the lack of association of these variables mean about women?