Cognitive training using action video games: A new approach to close the gender gap

The under-representation of women in science and technology has been a world-wide problem for many years. Success or failure experiences in early childhood on tasks requiring cognitive abilities could have a strong influence on an individual's educational and career choices. This thesis focuses on the role of cognitive functions.In the first experiment, gender differences in performance on an ICT-relevant cognitive task---the Useful Field of View (UFOV) task---were discovered for the first time. The second experiment demonstrated that gender differences in UFOV may be reduced by training with action video games. Significant training benefits for women were also found on the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), which is another ICT-relevant cognitive task. Furthermore, attitudes toward ICT also became more positive after training. These findings suggest that training with action video games could form an important component of a new strategy for enhancing women's participation in science and technology.