Visual short-term memory for coherent motion in video game players: evidence from a memory-masking paradigm

TY - JOUR

T1 - Visual short-term memory for coherent motion in video game players

T2 - evidence from a memory-masking paradigm

AU - Pavan, Andrea

AU - Hobaek, Martine

AU - Blurton, Steven

AU - Contillo, Adriano

AU - Ghin, Filippo

AU - Greenlee, Mark W.

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - In this study, we investigated visual short-term memory for coherent motion in action video game players (AVGPs), non-action video game players (NAVGPs), and non-gamers (control group: CONs). Participants performed a visual memory-masking paradigm previously used with macaque monkeys and humans. In particular, we tested whether video game players form a more robust visual short-term memory trace for coherent moving stimuli during the encoding phase, and whether such memory traces are less affected by an intervening masking stimulus presented 0.2 s after the offset of the to-be-remembered sample. The results showed that task performance of all groups was affected by the masking stimulus, but video game players were affected to a lesser extent than controls. Modelling of performance values and reaction times revealed that video game players have a lower guessing rate than CONs, and higher drift rates than CONs, indicative of more efficient perceptual decisions. These results suggest that video game players exhibit a more robust VSTM trace for moving objects and this trace is less prone to external interference.

AB - In this study, we investigated visual short-term memory for coherent motion in action video game players (AVGPs), non-action video game players (NAVGPs), and non-gamers (control group: CONs). Participants performed a visual memory-masking paradigm previously used with macaque monkeys and humans. In particular, we tested whether video game players form a more robust visual short-term memory trace for coherent moving stimuli during the encoding phase, and whether such memory traces are less affected by an intervening masking stimulus presented 0.2 s after the offset of the to-be-remembered sample. The results showed that task performance of all groups was affected by the masking stimulus, but video game players were affected to a lesser extent than controls. Modelling of performance values and reaction times revealed that video game players have a lower guessing rate than CONs, and higher drift rates than CONs, indicative of more efficient perceptual decisions. These results suggest that video game players exhibit a more robust VSTM trace for moving objects and this trace is less prone to external interference.

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-019-42593-0

DO - 10.1038/s41598-019-42593-0

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30988353

AN - SCOPUS:85064467590

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 9

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

IS - 1

M1 - 6027

ER -