Are videogame training gains specific or general?

Oei, Adam; Patterson, Michael D. · 2014 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00054

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Summary

This review article addresses the debate regarding whether cognitive and perceptual improvements resulting from video game training are general or specific. The authors examine two competing hypotheses: the "general improvement" hypothesis, which suggests that action video games (AVGs) enhance a broad capacity for probabilistic inference and statistical learning, and the "common demands" hypothesis, which posits that transfer occurs only when the training game and the laboratory task share specific perceptual or cognitive requirements. The authors argue in favor of the latter, asserting that training gains are limited to skills directly exercised during gameplay. The paper synthesizes evidence from cross-sectional comparisons between experienced gamers and non-players, as well as longitudinal training studies involving novice players. The authors analyze data across various cognitive domains, including contrast sensitivity, peripheral vision, divided attention, visual search, change detection, attentional blink, spatial cognition, and executive functions. They specifically compare outcomes from fast-paced first-person shooters (FPS) like *Unreal Tournament* and *Call of Duty* against non-action games like *Tetris* and *The Sims*. The review highlights that while AVGs are the most studied, evidence from non-AVGs is also considered to test the universality of the common demands hypothesis. The findings indicate that transfer effects are highly specific to the demands of the game. For instance, AVG training improved performance in tasks requiring rapid attentional switching, multiple object tracking, and peripheral vision detection, mirroring the need to track enemies and respond quickly in FPS games. However, AVG training did not improve visual search performance unless the game specifically required searching for hidden targets. Similarly, *Tetris* training enhanced mental rotation skills but only for shapes resembling Tetris blocks, with no general improvement in spatial visualization. Conversely, tasks lacking common demands, such as executive functioning or random task switching, showed equivocal or null results. The authors note that discrepancies in some studies may stem from sample selection issues or test-retest effects rather than a failure of the hypothesis. The significance of this work lies in its rejection of the "learning to learn" or general statistical inference model in favor of a task-specific framework. The authors conclude that video game training does not produce broad, non-specific cognitive enhancements. Instead, improvements are constrained by the overlap between game mechanics and laboratory tasks. This "common demands" hypothesis provides a predictive framework for selecting or designing video games intended for cognitive enhancement, suggesting that effective training requires games that explicitly engage the specific cognitive processes targeted for improvement. This aligns with broader cognitive training literature, which generally finds that post-training gains are most robust for tasks similar to the training regimen.

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• hazard perception training