Nothing else matters: Video games create sustained attentional selection away from task-irrelevant features.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Cutting, Joe Cairns, Paul Kuhn, Gustav
Abstract	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.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC7593291&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	19433921
Journal	Attention, Perception & Psychophysics [Atten Percept Psychophys]
Volume Number	82
DOI	10.3758/s13414-020-02122-y
PubMed Central reference number	PMC7593291
Issue Number	8
PubMed reference number	32918271
e-ISSN	1943393X
Language	English
Publisher	Springer US
Publisher Date	2020-11-01
Publisher Place	New York
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2020
Subject Keyword	Attention: Selective Attention: Divided Attention and Inattention Attention: Interactions with Memory
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Sensory Systems Linguistics and Language