Schroeder Philipp Alexander, Lohmann Johannes, Ninaus Manuel
Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Department of Computer Science, Cognitive Modeling, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
JMIR Serious Games. 2021 Mar 12;9(1):e25063. doi: 10.2196/25063.
Gamification in mental health could increase training adherence, motivation, and transfer effects, but the external validity of gamified tasks is unclear. This study documents that gamified task variants can show preserved associations between markers of behavioral deficits and health-related variables. We draw on the inhibitory control deficit in overweight populations to investigate effects of gamification on performance measures in a web-based experimental task.
This study tested whether associations between inhibitory control and overweight were preserved in a gamified stop-signal task (SST).
Two versions of an adaptive SST were developed and tested in an online experiment. Participants (n=111) were randomized to 1 of the 2 task variants and completed a series of questionnaires along with either the gamified SST or a conventional SST. To maximize its possible effects on participants' inhibitory control, the gamified SST included multiple game elements in addition to the task itself and the stimuli. Both variants drew on the identical core mechanics, but the gamified variant included an additional narrative, graphical theme, scoring system with visual and emotional feedback, and the presence of a companion character. In both tasks, food and neutral low-poly stimuli were classified based on their color tone (go trials), but responses were withheld in 25% of the trials (stop trials). Mean go reaction times and stop-signal reaction times (SSRT) were analyzed as measures of performance and inhibitory control.
Participants in the gamified SST had longer reaction times (803 [SD 179] ms vs 607 [SD 90] ms) and worse inhibitory control (SSRT 383 [SD 109] ms vs 297 [SD 45] ms). The association of BMI with inhibitory control was relatively small (r=.155, 95% CI .013-.290). Overweight participants had longer reaction times (752 [SD 217] ms vs 672 [SD 137] ms) and SSRTs (363 [SD 116] ms vs 326 [SD 77] ms). Gamification did not interact with the effect of overweight on mean performance or inhibitory control. There were no effects of gamification on mood and user experience, despite a negative effect on perceived efficiency.
The detrimental effects of heightened BMI on inhibitory control were preserved in a gamified version of the SST. Overall, the effects of overweight were smaller than in previously published web-based and laboratory studies. Gamification elements can impact behavioral performance, but gamified tasks can still assess inhibitory control deficits. Although our results are promising, according validations may differ for other types of behavior, gamification, and health variables.
心理健康领域的游戏化可以提高训练依从性、动机和迁移效果，但游戏化任务的外部效度尚不清楚。本研究证明，游戏化任务变体可以显示行为缺陷标志物与健康相关变量之间的关联保持不变。我们利用超重人群的抑制控制缺陷来研究游戏化对基于网络的实验任务中绩效指标的影响。
本研究测试了在游戏化的停止信号任务（SST）中，抑制控制与超重之间的关联是否保持不变。
开发了两个版本的自适应SST，并在在线实验中进行测试。参与者（n = 111）被随机分配到2种任务变体中的1种，并完成一系列问卷，同时完成游戏化SST或传统SST。为了最大限度地发挥其对参与者抑制控制的可能影响，游戏化SST除了任务本身和刺激外，还包括多个游戏元素。两种变体都采用相同的核心机制，但游戏化变体包括额外的故事情节、图形主题、带有视觉和情感反馈的评分系统以及一个同伴角色。在两个任务中，根据食物和中性低多边形刺激的色调对其进行分类（执行试验），但在25%的试验中不做反应（停止试验）。分析平均执行反应时间和停止信号反应时间（SSRT）作为绩效和抑制控制的指标。
游戏化SST中的参与者反应时间更长（803[标准差179]毫秒对607[标准差90]毫秒），抑制控制更差（SSRT 383[标准差109]毫秒对297[标准差45]毫秒）。BMI与抑制控制的关联相对较小（r = 0.155，95%置信区间0.013 - 0.290）。超重参与者的反应时间更长（752[标准差217]毫秒对672[标准差137]毫秒），SSRT也更长（363[标准差116]毫秒对326[标准差77]毫秒）。游戏化并未与超重对平均绩效或抑制控制的影响产生相互作用。尽管对感知效率有负面影响，但游戏化对情绪和用户体验没有影响。
在SST的游戏化版本中，BMI升高对抑制控制的有害影响依然存在。总体而言，超重的影响比之前发表的基于网络和实验室的研究要小。游戏化元素会影响行为表现，但游戏化任务仍可评估抑制控制缺陷。尽管我们的结果很有前景，但对于其他类型的行为、游戏化和健康变量，有效性验证可能会有所不同。
