Cutting Joe, Cairns Paul, Kuhn Gustav
Digital Creativity Labs, University of York, York, UK.
Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK.
Atten Percept Psychophys. 2020 Nov;82(8):3907-3919. doi: 10.3758/s13414-020-02122-y.
Feature-based attention allocates resources to particular stimulus features and reduces processing and retention of unattended features. We performed four experiments using self-paced video games to investigate whether sustained attentional selection of features could be created without a distractor task requiring continuous processing. Experiments 1 and 2 compared two versions of the game Two Dots, each containing a sequence of images. For the more immersive game post-game recognition of images was very low, but for the less immersive game it was significantly higher. Experiments 3 and 4 found that post-game image recognition was very low if the images were irrelevant to the game task but significantly higher if the images were relevant to the task. We conclude that games create sustained attentional selection away from task-irrelevant features, even if they are in full view, which leads to reduced retention. This reduced retention is due to differences in attentional set rather than a response to limited processing resources. The consistency of this attentional selection is moderated by the level of immersion in the game. We also discuss possible attentional mechanisms for the changes in recognition rates and the implications for applications such as serious games.
基于特征的注意力会将资源分配到特定的刺激特征上，并减少对未被注意特征的处理和记忆。我们进行了四项实验，使用自定节奏的电子游戏来研究是否可以在不需要持续处理干扰任务的情况下创建对特征的持续注意力选择。实验1和实验2比较了两款《点点消》游戏的版本，每个版本都包含一系列图像。对于沉浸感更强的游戏版本，游戏后对图像的识别率非常低，但对于沉浸感较弱的游戏版本，识别率则显著更高。实验3和实验4发现，如果图像与游戏任务无关，游戏后图像识别率非常低，但如果图像与任务相关，则识别率显著更高。我们得出结论，即使任务无关特征处于完全可见状态，游戏也会产生对其持续的注意力选择，这会导致记忆减少。这种记忆减少是由于注意力设定的差异，而不是对有限处理资源的反应。这种注意力选择的一致性受到游戏沉浸程度的调节。我们还讨论了识别率变化可能的注意力机制以及对诸如严肃游戏等应用的影响。
