Reasoning abilities in primary school: A pilot study on poor achievers vs. normal achievers in computer game tasks

This paper presents the results of preliminary research on the assessment of reasoning abilities in primary school poor achievers vs. normal achievers using computer game tasks. Subjects were evaluated by means of cognitive assessment on logical abilities and academic skills. The aim of this study is to better understand the relationship between school performance and logical reasoning and to analyze the major cognitive abilities underpinning digital games. The study also considers emotional and behavioral aspects through individual observation of poor achievers. The results point out higher logical difficulties in the target group compared with controls, supposedly related to working memory capacity and attention control.