Game Feedback Research Articles

Brain-computer interfaces based on near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography registration in post-stroke rehabilitation: a comparative study

Motor imagery training under the control of a brain-computer interface (BCI) facilitates motor recovery after stroke. The efficacy of BCI based on electroencephalography (EEG-BCI) has been confirmed by several meta-analyses, but a more convenient and noise-resistant method of near-infrared spectroscopy in the BCI circuit (NIRS-BCI) has been practically unexamined; comparisons of the two types of BCI have not been performed.Objective: to compare the control accuracy and clinical efficacy of NIRS-BCI and EEG-IMC in post-stroke rehabilitation.Material and methods. The NIRS-BCI group consisted of patients from an uncontrolled study (n=15; 9 men and 6 women; age – 59.0 [49.0; 70.0] years; stroke duration – 7.0 [2.0; 10.0] months; upper limb paresis – 47.0 [35.0; 54.0] points on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for motor function evaluation of the upper limb – FM-UL). The EEG-IMC group was formed from the main group of the randomized controlled trial “iMove” (n=17; 13 men and 4 women; age – 53.0 [49.0; 70.0] years; stroke duration – 10.0 [6.0; 13.0] months; upper limb paresis – 33.0 [12.0; 53.0] points on the FM-UL). Patients participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation program supplemented by BCI-guided movement imagery training (average of 9 training sessions).Results. Median of average BCI control rates achieved by the patients was 46.4 [44.2; 60.4]% in the NIRS group and 40.0 [35.7; 45.1]% in the EEG group (p=0.004). For the NIRS-BCI group, the median of the maximum BCI control accuracy achieved was 66.2 [56.4; 73.7]%, for EEGBCI – 50.6 [43.0; 62.3]% (p=0.006). The proportion of patients who achieved a clinically significant improvement according ARAT and the proportion of patients who achieved a clinically significant improvement according FM-UL were comparable in both groups. The NIRS-BCI group showed greater improvement in motor function compared to the EEG-BCI group according to Action Research Arm Test (ARAT; an increase of 5.0 [4.0; 8.0] points compared to an increase of 1.0 [0.0; 3.0] points; p=0.008), but not according to FM-UL scale (an increase of 5.0 [1.0; 10.0] and 4.0 [2.0; 5.0] points, respectively; p=0.455).Conclusion. NIRS-BCI has an advantage in control accuracy and ease of use in clinical practice. Achieving higher control accuracy of BCI provides additional opportunities for the use of game feedback scenarios to increase patient motivation.

Resilient pursuit evasion guidance with feedback game strategy

This paper proposed a resilient guidance strategy for planar pursuit evasion, in which the homing guidance problem is formulated as a Stackelberg game. As is known, the most salient challenge for pursuit evasion guidance is how to ensure an interception despite both players (i.e., missile and target) actively optimize their own interest with preferably incomplete information. Toward this, we introduce a game-theoretic guidance strategy that effectively integrates incentive feedback strategy into pursuit evasion game. In particular, the proposed resilient guidance law takes the form of Stackelberg game conjecture with missile/interceptor as the designated leader, and rigorously proves that leader's interest can be best served with a properly designed feedback gain, and an interception can be made possible in spite of incomplete knowledge on target's intentions (i.e., performance index). Simulation results verify the performance of the proposed strategy.

A wearable knee rehabilitation system based on graphene textile composite sensor: Implementation and validation

The effectiveness of knee rehabilitation systems in aiding patients with rehabilitation training has been well-documented. Presently, there is an increasing emphasis on the wearing comfort and user engagement of these systems. In this paper, a wearable knee rehabilitation system (WKRS) based on the graphene textile composite sensor (GTCS), which subjects perform rehabilitation training by controlling the ascent and descent of a bird in the visual feedback game utilized GTCS, is proposed and investigated. To obtain an accurate and smooth estimated knee joint angle, we propose an improved tree boosting regression algorithm based on extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), called improved XGBoost (IXGB). Specifically, the estimated results are smoothed by two steps: curving the preliminary estimating results within the same interval and smoothing the preliminary estimating results using the weighted moving average method. An online experiment with ten subjects validates the effectiveness of the WKRS and IXGB. Results indicate that the IXGB significantly enhances the smoothness of estimated value while maintaining estimation accuracy compared to XGBoost, random forest regression (RFR) and support vector regression (SVR). IXGB achieves an average increase of 33.43 % in root mean square error, 23.83 % in R-squared, and a 62.63% decrease in smoothness.

Learning by playing with generative AI: design and evaluation of a role-playing educational game with generative AI as scaffolding for instant feedback interaction

In this study, an online contextualized educational game was designed to provide interactive simulated dialogues using generative AI scaffolding (using ChatPDF) in a contextualized game as scaffolding for immediate feedback, where learners can access guides and explore knowledge. This study analyzed learners’ behaviors while performing AI prompting in the interactive scaffolding, as well as learners’ psychological responses. A total of 59 students participated in this study. The results of the study showed that learners had significantly high flow and low activity anxiety in the game tasks, while game feedback and scaffolding usefulness had significant effects on learning aids. The generative AI instant feedback interactive scaffolding had a certain high percentage of direct answers or indirect suggestions, which is suitable for interactive scaffolding.

Feedback game on [formula omitted]-chromatic Eulerian triangulations of surfaces

A new impartial game on a connected graph was introduced, called a feedback game, which is a variant of generalized geography. In this paper, we study the feedback game on 3-chromatic Eulerian triangulations of surfaces. We prove that the winner of the game on every 3-chromatic Eulerian triangulation of a surface all of whose vertices have degree 0 modulo 4 is always fixed. Moreover, we also study the case of 3-chromatic Eulerian triangulations of surfaces which have at least two vertices whose degrees are 2 modulo 4. In addition, as a concrete class of such graphs, we consider the octahedral path, which is obtained from an octahedron by adding octahedra in the same face, and completely determine the winner of the game on those graphs.

A new methodological approach to characterize selective motor control in children with cerebral palsy.

Despite being a primary impairment in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), selective motor control (SMC) is not routinely measured. Personalized treatment approaches in CP will be unattainable without the ability to precisely characterize the types and degrees of impairments in motor control. The objective of this study is to report the development and feasibility of a new methodological approach measuring muscle activation patterns during single-joint tasks to characterize obligatory muscle co-activation patterns that may underly impaired SMC. Muscle activation patterns were recorded during sub-maximal voluntary isometric contraction (sub-MVIC) tasks at the hip, knee, and ankle with an interactive feedback game to standardize effort across participants. We calculated indices of co-activation, synergistic movement, mirror movement, and overflow (indices range 0-2, greater scores equal to greater impairment in SMC) for each isolated joint task in 15 children - 8 with typical development (TD) (mean age 4.7 ± 1.0 SD years) and 7 with CP (mean age 5.8 ± 0.7 SD years). Indices were compared with Mann-Whitney tests. The relationships between the indices and gross motor function (GMFM-66) were examined with Pearson's r. Mean indices were higher in the CP vs. the TD group for each of the six tasks, with mean differences ranging from 0.05 (abduction and plantarflexion) to 0.44 (dorsiflexion). There was great inter-subject variability in the CP group such that significant group differences were detected for knee flexion mirroring (p = 0.029), dorsiflexion coactivation (p = 0.021), and dorsiflexion overflow (p = 0.014). Significant negative linear relations to gross motor function were found in all four indices for knee extension (r = -0.56 to -0.75), three of the indices for ankle dorsiflexion (r = -0.68 to -0.78) and in two of the indices for knee flexion (r = -0.66 to -0.67), and ankle plantarflexion (r = -0.53 to -0.60). Indices of coactivation, mirror movement, synergy, and overflow during single-joint lower limb tasks may quantify the type and degree of impairment in SMC. Preliminary concurrent validity between several of the indices of SMC and gross motor function was observed. Our findings established the feasibility of a new methodological approach that quantifies muscle activation patterns using electromyography paired with biofeedback during single-joint movement.

Central limit theorem in complete feedback games

AbstractConsider a well-shuffled deck of cards of n different types where each type occurs m times. In a complete feedback game, a player is asked to guess the top card from the deck. After each guess, the top card is revealed to the player and is removed from the deck. The total number of correct guesses in a complete feedback game has attracted significant interest in the past few decades. Under different regimes of m, n, the expected number of correct guesses, under the greedy (optimal) strategy, has been obtained by various authors, while there are not many results available about the fluctuations. In this paper we establish a central limit theorem with Berry–Esseen bounds when m is fixed and n is large. Our results extend to the case of decks where different types may have different multiplicity, under suitable assumptions.

Effects of metalinguistic corrective feedback on novice EFL students' digital game‐based grammar learning performances, perceptions and behavioural patterns

AbstractLearning with digital games has gained considerable popularity. While digital game‐based learning has the potential to improve learners' language learning achievement, engagement and motivation, there still exists a gap when it comes to providing effective feedback to learners within these games. Conventional digital games generally provide learners with immediate error correction, which could be of less help to learners when learning complex language content, such as grammar. In this study, a metalinguistic corrective feedback‐based digital gaming approach is proposed. Moreover, an experiment was conducted to explore how digital games, combined with metalinguistic corrective feedback, affect novice English learners' grammar learning achievement, as well as their perceptions of learning motivation, self‐efficacy and flow experience during learning. Lag sequential analysis was also applied to identify differences in the behavioural patterns of the two groups. A total of 76 university students participated in this study. The experimental group learned the target grammar via digital games combined with metalinguistic corrective feedback, whereas the control group learned with digital games combined with regular feedback, which is immediate error correction. The results suggest that metalinguistic corrective feedback has a positive impact on students' grammar learning, and benefits students who have lower initial intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy. Different feedback types also lead to diverse learning behaviours. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Feedback has substantial potential within the domain of digital game‐based learning. Proper instructional theories and strategies should be considered when designing digital games to guide language learners to engage in meaningful learning. What this paper adds Feedback that directs learners to rectify errors by emphasizing grammatical rules and language structures is referred to as metalinguistic corrective feedback. This study proposed a metalinguistic corrective feedback‐based digital gaming approach to explore the efficacy of such feedback in digital games. In addition to learning outcomes, learners' learning behaviour patterns were also recorded and analysed in this study. Implications for practice and/or policy It is potentially worth integrating metalinguistic corrective feedback into digital games to facilitate language learners' learning performances and perceptions. Metalinguistic corrective feedback has the potential to support learners with lower self‐efficacy and motivation to learn complicated language content. Future research can integrate different feedback models into digital games and investigate their effectiveness.

An IoT Sensing Platform and Serious Game for Remote Martial Arts Training.

We propose a system for self-supported martial arts training using an IoT sensing platform and Serious Game that can also be extended for general sports training. In martial arts, it is important that the practitioner is correctly performing each technique to accurately learn and prevent injury. A common stance in all martial arts, but especially in Shaolin Kung Fu, is the horse stance or Mabu. With the pandemic, many more people adopted remote training without the presence of a professional trainer to give advice. Our developed LifeMat system, which is a novel IoT pressure-sensitive training mat, uses pressure maps and pattern recognition to accurately classify key martial arts postures, provide feedback on form, and detect when the user performs the technique incorrectly. This is presented in the form of a Serious Game we have developed named Kung Future that focuses on the Mabu stance as a case study. We tested 14 participants with three different feedback conditions and demonstrated that, on average, participants had higher performance, duration, engagement, and motivation when game feedback was active. Furthermore, user responses from the surveys suggested positive feedback for real-world and long-term use and scalability.

Research on road tracking and anti-roll game control scheme of commercial vehicle based on Nash equilibrium

In view of the problem that the active suspension conflicts with the road tracking system while resisting roll when the commercial vehicle encounters emergency road conditions in the process of unmanned driving, this article is based on the Nash non-cooperative open-loop feedback game theory, taking the road tracking system, and the active anti-roll system as the participants of the game. An interactive control scheme which can not only accurately steer but also take into account the vertical roll stability is proposed. Firstly, the coupled model of Horizontal pendulum-anti-roll for commercial vehicles is established and extended to the vehicle-road three-degree of freedom closed model. Then, based on the derivation of the linear quadratic optimal control model (LQ), the non-cooperative open-loop Nash game theory is used to obtain the interactive optimal control afferent the road tracking system and the active anti-roll system. Finally, the experimental scheme is verified by hardware in the loop experiment. The results show that the interactive control scheme of road tracking and anti-roll based on Nash non-cooperative game for commercial vehicles allows the vehicle to take the vertical stability into account while turning actively, thus ensuring the safety and stability of the vehicle during driving.

Exploring how children with reading difficulties respond to instructional supports in literacy games and the role of prior knowledge

AbstractDigital literacy games can be beneficial for children with reading difficulties as a supplement to classroom instruction and an important feature of these games are the instructional supports, such as feedback. To be effective, feedback needs to build on prior instruction and match a learner's level of prior knowledge. However, there is limited research around the relationship between prior knowledge, instruction and feedback in the context of learning games. This paper presents an empirical study exploring the influence of prior knowledge on response to feedback, in two conditions: with or without instruction. Thirty‐six primary children (age 8–11) with reading difficulties participated: each child was assessed for their prior knowledge of two suffix types—noun and adjective suffixes. They subsequently received additional instruction for one suffix type and then played two rounds of a literacy game—one round for each suffix type. Our analysis shows that prior knowledge predicted initial success rates and performance after a verbal hint differently, depending on whether instruction was provided. These results are discussed with regards to learning game feedback design and the impact on different types of knowledge involved in gameplay, as well as other game design elements that might support knowledge building during gameplay. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Instructional supports, such as elaborative feedback, are a key feature of learning games. To be effective, feedback needs to build on prior instruction and match a learner's level of prior knowledge. Prior knowledge is an important moderator to consider in the context of elaborative feedback. What this paper adds Providing additional instruction (eg, pre‐training) may act as a knowledge enhancer building on children's existing disciplinary expertise, whereas the inclusion of elaborative feedback (eg, a hint) could be seen as a knowledge equaliser enabling children regardless of their prior knowledge to use the pre‐training within their gameplay. Highlights the importance of children's preferred learning strategies within the design of pre‐training and feedback to ensure children are able to use the instructional support provided within the game. Possible implications for pre‐training and feedback design within literacy games, as well as highlighting areas for further research. Implications for practice and/or policy Pre‐training for literacy games should highlight key features of the learning content and explicitly make connections with the target learning objective as well as elaborative feedback. Pre‐training should be combined with different types of in‐game feedback for different types of learners (eg, level of prior knowledge) or depending on the type of knowledge that designers want to build (eg, metalinguistic vs. epilinguistic). Modality, content and timing of the feedback should be considered carefully to match the specific needs of the intended target audience and the interaction between them given the primary goal of the game.

How Does Constructive Feedback in an Educational Game Sound to Children?

Educational games are effective tools for children, as they naturally increase their motivation and engagement. While previous studies have revealed the varying influences of different types of feedback in education, there has been a lack of attention to the design of constructive feedback in educational games. This study involves a 2 (peer and adult voice) × 3 (verification, encouragement, and elaboration type) factorial design to observe how different voices and types of feedback affect children’s performance, retention, inquisitiveness, impressions, and emotional reactions while playing a math game designed for preschoolers called MathSoup. The significance of the different types of feedback was analyzed through a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-squared tests, and observation during the game sessions. This study also discusses the implications and insights driven by children’s reactions to certain types of feedback and how they perceive game characters.

Research and analysis of enlightening education games

There are many different types of games on the market, such as AAA games that focus on commercial profits, independent games that express the ideas of some producers, experimental games for the purpose of exploration, and the rare enlightenment games for education or interest enlightenment game. Enlightenment games are very important for a person's interest enlightenment or for children's basic education because they provide a relatively simple and easy-to-accept way for users to acquire knowledge in new areas. The purpose of this article is to summarize existing educationally inspired games and summarize their strengths and weaknesses. This article outlines a comparison of positive feedback in video games and educational games, a professional survey of educational games, and the impact of educational games on players. As well as investigating the professionalism of the game and its impact on people. In the future, educational enlightenment games can replace some simpler enlightenment education or experience some areas that have never been experienced before.

Alpha band neurofeedback training based on a portable device improves working memory performance of young people

BackgroundWorking Memory (WM) plays a key role in cognitive activities such as problem solving, intellectual reasoning, and mathematical calculation. It has been reported that electroencephalogram (EEG) based Neurofeedback (NF) training shows good application value in improving subjects’ WM. ObjectivesIn this study, a low-cost and portable Neurofeedback Training (NFT) system based on a real-time EEG brain-computer interface (BCI) was built to explore whether the NFT based on alpha band can effectively regulate subjects’ WM level. MethodsThere were 16 healthy young subjects in total, recruited and randomly divided into the NFT group and the control group. Compared to the control group, the NFT group received a total of 8 NFT sessions, in which the subjects combined with the designed game feedback interface to realize the regulation of alpha band. Then, the relevant EEG data, the pre-test and post-test scores in the process of NF training were collected for EEG spectrum analysis and paired T-test respectively. ResultsThe study found that after a period of training, the alpha band power of prefrontal cortex and occipital cortex in the NFT group was significantly enhanced, and the activity power of beta and gamma band was significantly higher than that in other regions, and the WM error rate of this group was obviously lower than that of the control group (P < 0.001). ConclusionOur study has demonstrated that the alpha band NFT system based on portable devices can improve the subjects' WM ability to a certain extent.

The motivational spillover of instantaneous positive feedback in video games on subsequent cognitive tasks

The motivational spillover of instantaneous positive feedback in video games on subsequent cognitive tasks

Response to relative performance feedback in simulation games

We empirically examine how relative performance feedback (RPF) in simulation games influences students' learning and outcome performance. We use the Littlefield Technologies simulations (developed by Responsive Technologies) as the contextual background of this study. The study was conducted based on the rich theoretical foundation of RPF that has been extensively studied in the field of Psychology, Economics, and Education. We collected survey-based data from students of four operations management courses at two universities in the United States. We developed a “feedback response (FR)” construct to measure the perceived level of a team's exerted effort in response to the publicly available team standing information (i.e., RPF availability) and hypothesized that it fully mediates the effects of RPF availability on learning and outcome performance. The study findings suggest that providing RPF via leaderboard improves FR, which in turn leads to both higher learning and outcome performance.

Oxytocin and the Punitive Hub-Dynamic Spread of Cooperation in Human Social Networks.

Human society operates on large-scale cooperation. However, individual differences in cooperativeness and incentives to free ride on others' cooperation make large-scale cooperation fragile and can lead to reduced social welfare. Thus, how individual cooperation spreads through human social networks remains puzzling from ecological, evolutionary, and societal perspectives. Here, we identify oxytocin and costly punishment as biobehavioral mechanisms that facilitate the propagation of cooperation in social networks. In three laboratory experiments (n = 870 human participants: 373 males, 497 females), individuals were embedded in heterogeneous networks and made repeated decisions with feedback in games of trust (n = 342), ultimatum bargaining (n = 324), and prisoner's dilemma with punishment (n = 204). In each heterogeneous network, individuals at central positions (hub nodes) were given intranasal oxytocin (or placebo). Giving oxytocin (vs matching placebo) to central individuals increased their trust and enforcement of cooperation norms. Oxytocin-enhanced norm enforcement, but not elevated trust, explained the spreading of cooperation throughout the social network. Moreover, grounded in evolutionary game theory, we simulated computer agents that interacted in heterogeneous networks with central nodes varying in terms of cooperation and punishment levels. Simulation results confirmed that central cooperators' willingness to punish noncooperation allowed the permeation of the network and enabled the evolution of network cooperation. These results identify an oxytocin-initiated proximate mechanism explaining how individual cooperation facilitates network-wide cooperation in human society and shed light on the widespread phenomenon of heterogeneous composition and enforcement systems at all levels of life.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Human society operates on large-scale cooperation. Yet because cooperation is exploitable by free riding, how cooperation in social networks emerges remains puzzling from evolutionary and societal perspectives. Here we identify oxytocin and altruistic punishment as key factors facilitating the propagation of cooperation in human social networks. Individuals played repeated economic games in heterogeneous networks where individuals at central positions were given oxytocin or placebo. Oxytocin-enhanced cooperative norm enforcement, but not elevated trust, explained cooperation spreading throughout the social network. Evolutionary simulations confirmed that central cooperators' willingness to punish noncooperation allowed the permeation of the network and enabled the evolution of cooperation. These results identify an oxytocin-initiated proximate mechanism explaining how individual cooperation facilitates network-wide cooperation in human social networks.

Influence of competition-outcome feedback in video games on players’ flow experience

Influence of competition-outcome feedback in video games on players’ flow experience

Training technologies as a means of increasing motivation for creative activity of future nursery teachers

The article investigates the problem of increasing motivation for creative activity of future teachers with the help of training technologies. The studied experience of using training technologies allowed determining their potential to increase the motivation of future teachers to creative activities. Experimental application of training technologies was tested in training courses for future teachers “Psychology,” “General Pedagogy,” “Introduction to the Specialty.” Mathematical data processing methods and a software package for statistical analysis “Statistica” were used to analyze the obtained results and objectively consider the dynamics of change. Socio-psychological training is the most effective way to increase the level of motivation for creative activity of future teachers. Experimental research has shown that training should include a wide range of techniques, namely: icebreaker exercises, feedback games, game of social-perceptual orientation, communication games, psychotechnics aimed at problem solving, meditation, visualization.

Plasticity of strategic sophistication in interactive decision-making

We propose an experimental eye-tracking study to test how strategic sophistication is shaped by experience in 3×3 two-person normal-form games. Although strategic sophistication has been shown to be linked to a variety of endogenous and exogenous factors, little is known about how it is affected by previous interactive decisions. We show that complete feedback in previous games can significantly enhance strategic sophistication, and that games that in principle provide equivalent learning opportunities lead instead to substantially different learning outcomes. Specifically, only repeated play with feedback of games that emphasize strategic interdependence significantly enhances strategic learning, producing an increase in the frequency of equilibrium play and a shift of attention to the incentives of the counterpart. Moreover, we find that the type of learning underlying newly gained strategic skills can vary substantially across players. Whereas some players eventually learn to visually analyze the payoff matrix consistently with equilibrium reasoning, others appear to use experience with previous interactions to devise simple heuristics of play. Our results have implications for theoretical and computational modeling of learning.