Watching a 3D movie can more than double the concentration powers and cognitive processing of children, new research claims.

一项新研究声称，观看一部3D电影可以让儿童的注意力和认知处理速度提升一倍多。

A study by visual technology firm RealD and led by child psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson and associate lecturer at Goldsmiths Patrick Fagan suggests that children aged between seven and 14 experienced twice the cognitive processing speed and performed better in testing after watching 20 minutes of a 3D film.

视觉科技公司RealD开展了一项研究，领头人是儿童心理学博士理查德•伍尔夫森和金史密斯学院助理讲师帕特里克•费根。研究显示，7至14岁之间的孩子在观看20分钟3D电影后，认知处理速度提升一倍，在测试中的表现也更出色。

This is despite suggestions that attention spans in children have shortened in the last decade due to unlimited to access to entertainment, including on-demand TV, gaming and social media.

尽管一些迹象表明，在过去十年间，由于接触娱乐无节制，包括观看点播电视，玩电子游戏和使用社交媒体，儿童注意力的持续时间已经缩短了。

A 2015 study claimed that watching 3D content had a similar effect to brain-training exercises.

2015年的一项研究声称，观看3D节目与大脑训练有相近的功效。

Consumer psychologist Mr Fagan said that the increased stimulation found in watching something in 3D "exercised" the brain and improved performance in the short term.

消费者心理学专家费根表示，观看3D节目所增加的刺激“锻炼”了大脑，并能在短期内提高大脑的表现。

"3D films can play the role of 'brain-training' games and help to make children 'smarter' in the short term," he said.

他说，“3D电影可以发挥 ‘大脑训练’游戏的作用，帮助儿童在短期内‘更聪明’。”

"The shortening of response times after watching 3D was almost three times as big as that gained from watching 2D; in other words, 3D helps children process aspects of their environment more quickly. This is likely to be because 3D is a mentally stimulating experience which 'gets the brain's juices flowing'."

“观看3D节目后缩短的反应时间是观看2D节目后的近3倍；换言之，3D节目帮助儿童更迅速地对环境中的方方面面做出应对。这可能是因为3D节目会刺激大脑，‘让脑汁流动起来’。”

The experiment saw children given a range of cognitive tests before watching 20 minutes of a movie in either 2D or 3D and being tested again. The results showed those who saw the 3D content reacted faster and performed better in the second round of testing. Mental engagement also rose by 13% among 3D watchers.

该实验先对儿童进行了一系列认知测试，在观看20分钟2D或3D电影后，再对他们测试一遍。结果显示，在第二轮测试中，观看3D节目的儿童反应更快、表现更佳。此外，观看3D节目的儿童大脑活跃度提高了13%。

Child psychologist Dr Woolfson added that "supportive parenting" and regularly listening to classical music can also aid a child's memory.

儿童心理学家伍尔夫森博士补充道，“鼓励式教育”和经常听古典音乐也有助于提高儿童的记忆力。

"Children now expect to flit from activity to activity in a matter of seconds, leaving them struggling when they need to concentrate for longer, for instance, during a classroom learning experience." he said.

“现在的孩子们想在数秒之间就从一个活动换到另一个活动上，这导致他们在需要较长时间集中精神时感到煎熬，比如在教室中上课时。”

"Setting a good example also matters - parents who check their smartphones or laptops during mealtimes or family activities shouldn't be surprised when their children want to do the same."

“树立一个好榜样也很关键——对于在用餐或家庭活动时查看智能手机、笔记本电脑的父母，当自己的孩子也有同样的举动时，他们不应该感到惊讶。”