The Journal of General Psyt-hohgy. 2004, 131(2). I5l-I.'i Boys' and Girls' Use of Cognitive Strategy When Learning to Play Video Games FRAN C. BLUMBERG LORI M. SOKOL Division of Psychological and Educational Sen'ices Graduate School of Education Fordham University ABSTRACT. The tiuthors examined gender difl'erences in the cognitive strategies that chil- dren use when they learn how to play a video game. They interviewed 2nd- and 5th-grade hoys and girls about how often they played video games and what they did "when learn- ing how to play a video game." The children's responses to the latter queslion were cate- gorized as either internally or extemally oriented (i.e., reading a manual vs. asking for help, respectively). The results indicated that more frequent players and older children were more likely to cite internally based strategies. No main effects of gender were found for the proportions of ihe internally vs. externally based strategies that were cited. Key words: child developmenu cognitive strategies, video games IN THE WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES, equal access does not necessarily mean equal oppottunity. For example, current ftndings indicate that girls and boys may not equally avail themselves of video game experienee (Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield, & Gross, 2001). The study of the impaet of that differential experi- ence is warranted given the link between the playing of video games and the infor- mal education that it might provide (Greenfteld & Coeking, 1994). Video games often provide the first opportunity for children to interact with computer technology (Greenfteld, Brannon, & Lohr, 1996). According to Greenfieid and her colleagues (e.g.. Greenfteld, Brannon, et a!.; Greenfield, DeWinstanley, Kiipatriek. & Kaye, 1996; Subrahtnanyam, et al. 2001). video games might influence information processing skills sueh as those pertinent to spatial ability, which in turn, have itnplications for more complex computer use (Goldstein. 1994). The results of studies in which researchers examined children's video game performance typically reveal gender differenees. For example, Greenfield, Bran- non, et al. (1996) found a significant gender difference in the propoition of boys and girls reaching criterion on a video game that involved shooting down starships. l.M