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The Measurement of Intelligence in the XXI Century using Video Games

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2016

M. A. Quiroga ,
F. J. Román ,
J. De La Fuente ,
J. Privado  and
R. Colom
M. A. Quiroga*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
F. J. Román
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA)
J. De La Fuente
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
J. Privado
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
R. Colom
Affiliation:
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to M. A. Quiroga. Facultad de Psicología. Campus de Somosaguas.UCM. 28223. Madrid (Spain). E-mail: maquirog@ucm.es
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Abstract

This paper reviews the use of video games for measuring intelligence differences and reports two studies analyzing the relationship between intelligence and performance on a leisure video game. In the first study, the main focus was to design an Intelligence Test using puzzles from the video game. Forty-seven young participants played “Professor Layton and the curious village”® for a maximum of 15 hours and completed a set of intelligence standardized tests. Results show that the time required for completing the game interacts with intelligence differences: the higher the intelligence, the lower the time (d = .91). Furthermore, a set of 41 puzzles showed excellent psychometric properties. The second study, done seven years later, confirmed the previous findings. We finally discuss the pros and cons of video games as tools for measuring cognitive abilities with commercial video games, underscoring that psychologists must develop their own intelligence video games and delineate their key features for the measurement devices of next generation.

Keywords

abilitiescommercial video gamesintelligencevideo games
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 19 , 2016 , E89
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2016 

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