Action video game playing is associated with improved visual sensitivity, but not alterations in visual sensory memory.
Abstract
Action video game playing has been experimentally linked to a number of perceptual
and cognitive improvements. These benefits are captured through a wide range of psychometric
tasks and have led to the proposition that action video game experience may promote
the ability to extract statistical evidence from sensory stimuli. Such an advantage
could arise from a number of possible mechanisms: improvements in visual sensitivity,
enhancements in the capacity or duration for which information is retained in visual
memory, or higher-level strategic use of information for decision making. The present
study measured the capacity and time course of visual sensory memory using a partial
report performance task as a means to distinguish between these three possible mechanisms.
Sensitivity measures and parameter estimates that describe sensory memory capacity
and the rate of memory decay were compared between individuals who reported high evels
and low levels of action video game experience. Our results revealed a uniform increase
in partial report accuracy at all stimulus-to-cue delays for action video game players
but no difference in the rate or time course of the memory decay. The present findings
suggest that action video game playing may be related to enhancements in the initial
sensitivity to visual stimuli, but not to a greater retention of information in iconic
memory buffers.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAdult
Attention
Cognition
Cues
Female
Humans
Male
Memory
Middle Aged
Neuronal Plasticity
Play and Playthings
Psychomotor Performance
Retention (Psychology)
Video Games
Visual Perception
Young Adult
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13525Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3758/s13414-013-0472-7Publication Info
Appelbaum, L Gregory; Cain, Matthew S; Darling, Elise F; & Mitroff, Stephen R (2013). Action video game playing is associated with improved visual sensitivity, but not
alterations in visual sensory memory. Atten Percept Psychophys, 75(6). pp. 1161-1167. 10.3758/s13414-013-0472-7. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13525.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Lawrence Gregory Appelbaum
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Greg Appelbaum is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences in the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Appelbaum's research
interests primarily concern the brain mechanisms underlying visual cognition, how
these capabilities differ among individuals, and how they can be improved through
behavioral, neurofeedback, and neuromodulation interventions. Within the field of
cognitive neuroscience, his research has addressed visual pe
Stephen Mitroff
Associate Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
NOTE: As of 8/1/2015 Dr. Mitroff and his lab will move to The George Washington University
in Washington D.C. Lab focus: My lab has an active interest in visual search—how we
find targets amongst distractors. With a dual goal of informing both academic theory
and applied "real-world" performance, we explore various influences on search. We
work with a variety of expert groups to understand the effects of experience and expertise,
and to reveal individual differences in performa
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