Multimodal spatial discrimination in the face of uncertainty

Abstract

The current study expands upon previous research that has demonstrated perceptual and attentional superiority of action video game (AVG) players. Here, the effects of AVG expertise are further examined by measuring visual-spatial and auditory-spatial discrimination performance under varying degrees of spatial separation and ambiguity. AVG players (experts) and novices completed a visual and an auditory spatial discrimination task in which error rates and reaction times (RTs) were recorded. Data analysis of 58 participants (29 experts, 29 novices) revealed that, compared to novices, experts were better able to discriminate spatial location in both the auditory and visual modalities. Additionally, in the auditory condition, experts were able to overcome moderate spatial ambiguity, while novices could not. These results indicate that action video game expertise should be considered when selecting operators for tasks requiring spatial precision in multiple modalities.