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Virtual Reality Experiments with Physiological Measures
Published on: August 29, 2018
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The relationship between internet-gaming experience and executive functions measured by virtual environment compared
Yong-Quan Chen1, Shulan Hsieh1,2
1Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Plos One
|June 8, 2018
Summary
Frequent internet gaming (IG) experience may enhance multitasking skills, particularly in ecologically valid virtual environments. However, this advantage doesn't consistently translate to conventional laboratory multitasking tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Internet gaming (IG) is a prevalent activity among young adults.
- The impact of frequent IG on cognitive functions, specifically multitasking, remains an area of active research.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for cognitive training and understanding gamer profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether frequent internet gamers (IG) demonstrate superior or inferior multitasking abilities compared to infrequent IG players.
- To explore the influence of different multitasking assessment methods on observed performance differences.
- To examine the role of executive functions in the multitasking performance of frequent IG players.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-two healthy college students were categorized into frequent and infrequent IG groups based on the Internet Use Questionnaire.
- Multitasking ability was assessed using the ecologically valid Edinburgh Virtual Errands Test (EVET) and conventional laboratory tasks (dual task, task switching).
- Performance metrics were analyzed to compare the two groups across different multitasking paradigms.
Main Results:
- Frequent IG participants outperformed infrequent IG participants on the EVET, indicating better multitasking in a virtual environment.
- No significant differences in performance were observed between the groups on the dual-task and task-switching paradigms.
- The findings highlight a task-dependent effect on multitasking efficacy for frequent IG players.
Conclusions:
- Frequent internet gaming may enhance multitasking abilities, particularly in tasks that mimic real-world scenarios (ecologically valid tasks).
- The benefits of frequent IG on multitasking may not generalize to all laboratory-based assessments, suggesting a nuanced relationship.
- Task design and ecological validity are critical factors when evaluating the cognitive effects of internet gaming on executive functions.
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