Jakubowska Natalia, Dobrowolski Paweł, Rutkowska Natalia, Skorko Maciej, Myśliwiec Monika, Michalak Jakub, Brzezicka Aneta
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland.
Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
Heliyon. 2021 Apr 14;7(4):e06724. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06724. eCollection 2021 Apr.
The impact of action videogame playing on cognitive functioning is the subject of debate among scientists, with many studies showing superior performance of players relative to non-players on a number of cognitive tasks. Moreover, the exact role of individual differences in the observed effects is still largely unknown. In our Event-Related Potential (ERP) study we investigated whether training in a Real Time Strategy (RTS) video game StarCraft II can influence the ability to deploy visual attention measured by the Attentional Blink (AB) task. We also asked whether individual differences in a psychophysiological response in the AB task predict the effectiveness of the video game training. Forty-three participants (non-players) were recruited to the experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to either experimental (Variable environment) or active control (Fixed environment) group, which differed in the type of training received. Training consisted of 30 h of playing the StarCraft II game. Participants took part in two EEG sessions (pre- and post-training) during which they performed the AB task. Our results indicate that both groups improved their performance in the AB task in the post-training session. What is more, in the experimental group the strength of the amplitude of the P300 ERP component (which is related to a conscious visual perception) in the pre training session appeared to be predictive of the level of achievement in the game. In the case of the active control group in-game behaviour appeared to be predictive of a training-related improvement in the AB task. Our results suggest that differences in the neurophysiological response might be treated as a marker of future success in video game acquisition, especially in a more demanding game environment.
动作电子游戏对认知功能的影响是科学家们争论的话题，许多研究表明，在一些认知任务上，玩家相对于非玩家表现更优。此外，个体差异在观察到的影响中的确切作用仍很大程度上未知。在我们的事件相关电位（ERP）研究中，我们调查了实时策略（RTS）电子游戏《星际争霸II》的训练是否能影响通过注意瞬脱（AB）任务测量的视觉注意力分配能力。我们还询问了AB任务中心理生理反应的个体差异是否能预测电子游戏训练的效果。43名参与者（非玩家）被招募参加实验。参与者被随机分配到实验（可变环境）组或主动控制（固定环境）组，两组接受的训练类型不同。训练包括30小时的《星际争霸II》游戏游玩。参与者在两次脑电图（EEG）测试（训练前和训练后）中执行AB任务。我们的结果表明，两组在训练后测试中AB任务的表现都有所提高。此外，在实验组中，训练前测试中P300 ERP成分（与有意识的视觉感知相关）的波幅强度似乎可以预测游戏中的成就水平。在主动控制组中，游戏中的行为似乎可以预测AB任务中与训练相关的改善。我们的结果表明，神经生理反应的差异可能被视为未来在电子游戏习得中取得成功的一个标志，尤其是在要求更高的游戏环境中。
