Enhancing reading performance through action video games: the role of visual attention span

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Action video games (AVGs) show potential for improving attentional skills.
• Previous research links visual attention span to reading development and dyslexia.
• The shared attentional mechanisms between AVG play and reading require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if frequent players of AVGs exhibit an improved visual attention span.
• To explore the relationship between visual attention span and reading performance in adults.
• To investigate the role of visual attention span in mediating the benefits of AVGs for reading.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of frequent AVG players and non-players (n=36) matched for age and reading proficiency.
• Behavioral assessments of visual attention span.
• Evaluation of performance on a challenging pseudo-word reading task.

Main Results:

• Frequent AVG players demonstrated superior performance on both visual attention span and pseudo-word reading tasks.
• Performance on the visual attention span task was significantly correlated with pseudo-word reading ability.
• These findings suggest a transfer of attentional benefits from AVG play to reading.

Conclusions:

• The visual attention span may be a key factor mediating the positive effects of AVGs on reading.
• These results support the use of AVGs as a tool to enhance reading skills, even in adults.
• Future research could leverage these findings to develop novel remediation software for reading difficulties.