Abstract
Medical rehabilitation involving behavioral training can produce highly successful outcomes, but those successes are obtained at the cost of long periods of often tedious training, reducing compliance. By contrast, arcade-style video games can be entertaining and highly motivating. We examine here the impact of video game play on contiguous perceptual training. We alternated several periods of auditory pure-tone frequency discrimination (FD) with the popular spatial visual-motor game Tetris played in silence. Tetris play alone did not produce any auditory or cognitive benefits. However, when alternated with FD training it enhanced learning of FD and auditory working memory. The learning-enhancing effects of Tetris play cannot be explained simply by the visual-spatial training involved, as the effects were gone when Tetris play was replaced with another visual-spatial task using Tetris-like stimuli but not incorporated into a game environment. The results indicate that game play enhances learning and transfer of the contiguous auditory experiences, pointing to a promising approach for increasing the efficiency and applicability of rehabilitative training.
Highlights
IntroductionRehabilitative training has long been used to improve perceptual and cognitive performance in normal (Mahncke et al, 2006; Takeuchi et al, 2010) as well as clinical (learning impairement, Merzenich et al, 1996; e.g., amblyopia, Maurer and Hensch, 2012; stroke, Taub, 2012) populations
Rehabilitative training has long been used to improve perceptual and cognitive performance in normal (Mahncke et al, 2006; Takeuchi et al, 2010) as well as clinical populations
The frequency discrimination (FD) + Rotation group did improve on the visual mental rotation task, as reaction time decreased over training sessions (ANOVA, effect of session: F3,42 = 46.3, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.77) while accuracy remained constant through training at a close-to-ceiling level (>90%; effect of training session: F3,42 = 0.34, p = 0.80)
Summary
Rehabilitative training has long been used to improve perceptual and cognitive performance in normal (Mahncke et al, 2006; Takeuchi et al, 2010) as well as clinical (learning impairement, Merzenich et al, 1996; e.g., amblyopia, Maurer and Hensch, 2012; stroke, Taub, 2012) populations. Rehabilitative training, typically consisting of many hours of repetitive practice, is often too effortful and tedious for the intended users (Levi and Li, 2009). Playing fast action video games (with audio effects) has been shown to improve a wide range of visual perception and attention skills (Green and Bavelier, 2003, 2012). We previously reported that playing Tetris, a popular arcade type video game involving fast visual-motor control, improved auditory perception (Amitay et al, 2006). This result raised the possibility that existing video games may be utilized for auditory rehabilitation or enhancement of auditory skills. We re-examine the supramodal effect of video game play on auditory learning
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
