A new adaptive videogame for training attention and executive functions: design principles and initial validation.

Veronica Montani,Marco Zorzi,Michele De Filippo De Grazia

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00409

Abstract

A growing body of evidence suggests that action videogames could enhance a variety of cognitive skills and more specifically attention skills. The aim of this study was to develop a novel adaptive videogame to support the rehabilitation of the most common consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), that is the impairment of attention and executive functions. TBI patients can be affected by psychomotor slowness and by difficulties in dealing with distraction, maintain a cognitive set for a long time, processing different simultaneously presented stimuli, and planning purposeful behavior. Accordingly, we designed a videogame that was specifically conceived to activate those functions. Playing involves visuospatial planning and selective attention, active maintenance of the cognitive set representing the goal, and error monitoring. Moreover, different game trials require to alternate between two tasks (i.e., task switching) or to perform the two tasks simultaneously (i.e., divided attention/dual-tasking). The videogame is controlled by a multidimensional adaptive algorithm that calibrates task difficulty on-line based on a model of user performance that is updated on a trial-by-trial basis. We report simulations of user performance designed to test the adaptive game as well as a validation study with healthy participants engaged in a training protocol. The results confirmed the involvement of the cognitive abilities that the game is supposed to enhance and suggested that training improved attentional control during play.

Highlights

Cognitive enhancement through videogame playing is a hot topic in cognitive science
Many investigations have focused on the modulation of visual skills and have revealed that videogame players (VGPs) outperform non-videogame players (NVGPs) on a variety of visuo-attentional tasks (Green and Bavelier, 2003, 2006a; for reviews see Spence and Feng, 2010; Boot et al, 2011; HubertWallander et al, 2011a; Latham et al, 2013)
There is a growing body of evidence that videogame playing can enhance a variety of specific skills in addition to speeding up information processing (e.g., Hubert-Wallander et al, 2011a)

Summary

Introduction

Cognitive enhancement through videogame playing is a hot topic in cognitive science. Most of the literature on the effect of videogame play is centred on “action” videogames, which are remarkably challenging in terms of visual and attention demands. Many investigations have focused on the modulation of visual skills and have revealed that videogame players (VGPs) outperform non-videogame players (NVGPs) on a variety of visuo-attentional tasks (Green and Bavelier, 2003, 2006a; for reviews see Spence and Feng, 2010; Boot et al, 2011; HubertWallander et al, 2011a; Latham et al, 2013). There is evidence that videogame playing enhances a variety of other cognitive skills (Green and Bavelier, 2003; Dye et al, 2009a; Anguera et al, 2013) and that cognitive processes different from visuo-spatial ability might benefit from playing more strategic games (e.g., Basak et al, 2008). Colzato et al (2010) reported that VGPs suffer smaller task switching cost than NVGPs, suggesting that they have better cognitive control (see Cain et al, 2012; Strobach et al, 2012). Karle et al (2010) suggested that the smaller switch cost is the consequence of more efficient task reconfiguration due to a superior ability to control attentional resources ( see Meiran et al, 2000)

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