Exploring the Association Between Leisure Time Digital Immersion, Attention and Reasoning Ability in Pre-Teens

Introduction

In developed countries life in the 21st century has become a digital experience for the majority of people. It has now become extremely difficult to avoid digital technologies. Digital media is pervasive in both work and home environments. At work, if the computer network crashes you are likely to suspend your work until it is repaired. At home, if a crisis looms or there is a need to gather information Google™ search is likely to be the answer. Game consoles or mp3 players fulfill the leisure needs of millions of people every day. In a recent survey of technology use responses indicated that 99% of teenage boys and 94% of teenage girls played computer games in their leisure time (Lenhart et al., 2008) and 74% of adults have a propensity to go online (Jones & Fox, 2009). The fact that technology is pervasive in society has raised a number of questions amongst researchers as to how technology impacts individuals and whether those immersed in technology differ in terms of their cognitive aptitude compared to those who are not.