Examining the effects of video game training on cortical recruitment of the attentional network
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Date
2011-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
We examined the effect of strategy on neural recruitment during video game-play. Fifty
participants completed 30 hours of training under one of two training regimes: Fixed Emphasis
Training (FET), in which participants practiced all the aspects of the Space Fortress (SF) game at
once, or Hybrid Variable Priority Training (HVT), in which participants practiced while
prioritizing selective aspects of game play at different times. After 30 hours of training, data
indicated a significant advantage for the two training groups relative to a no-training control
group. Following training, both groups showed reduced activation in cortical areas involved in
attentional control, namely the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and
parietal cortices. The control group continued to show activation in these areas post-training,
suggesting that the attentional demands of the task were not reduced for control participants but
were reduced for trained participants. These data suggest that training reduced the attentional
demands of SF, and this reduction was most evident in the HVT training group.
Description
Presented as a poster at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's annual meeting
Keywords
attentional control, variable priority, video game training, young adult