The precision of experienced action video-game players: line bisection reveals reduced leftward response bias

Atten Percept Psychophys. 2014 Nov;76(8):2193-8. doi: 10.3758/s13414-014-0789-x.

Abstract

Twenty-two experienced action video-game players (AVGPs) and 18 non-VGPs were tested on a pen-and-paper line bisection task that was untimed. Typically, right-handers bisect lines 2 % to the left of true centre, a bias thought to reflect the dominance of the right-hemisphere for visuospatial attention. Expertise may affect this bias, with expert musicians showing no bias in line bisection performance. Our results show that experienced-AVGPs also bisect lines with no bias with their right hand and a significantly reduced bias with their left hand compared to non-AVGPs. Bisections by experienced-AVGPs were also more precise than those of non-AVGPs. These findings show the cognitive proficiencies of experienced-AVGPs can generalize beyond computer based tasks, which resemble their training environment.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Space Perception / physiology*
  • Transfer, Psychology / physiology*
  • Video Games / psychology*
  • Young Adult