Action Video Games and “Learning to Learn”

Action Video Games and “Learning to Learn”

C. Shawn Green

Daphne Bavelier Alex Pouget

Supported by NEI, ONR, The James S. McDonnell Foundation

Training leads to lasting improvement

Fiorentini, A. & Berardi, N. (1980). Perceptual learning specific for orientation and spatial frequency. Nature, 287, 43-44. Fiorentini, A. & Berardi, N. (1980). Perceptual learning specific for orientation and spatial frequency. Nature, 287, 43-44.

But only for the trained orientation and spatial

frequency

Specificity of Perceptual Learning

Specificity of Perceptual Learning

Action Video GamesAction Video Games

• In contrast to the typical specificity of learning, our research has demonstrated that action video game experience transfers broadly

Action Video GamesAction Video Games

Green and Bavelier, Nature (2003)

Temporal ProcessingTemporal Processing

Temporal ProcessingTemporal Processing

Green and Bavelier, Nature (2003)

BLRSWCQXYJGDTP

Green and Bavelier, Nature (2003)

100 200

Time since white letter (ms)

400 500 600 700 800300

Temporal ProcessingTemporal Processing

Spatial ProcessingSpatial Processing

Green and Bavelier, Psychological Science (2007)

Crowding

Spatial ProcessingSpatial Processing

T

T

T

TT

T

TTT

0 10 25Eccentricity (deg)

Crowding

Spatial ProcessingSpatial Processing

Green and Bavelier, Psychological Science (2007)

What Do Action Video Games Teach?

What Do Action Video Games Teach?

• The list of tasks on which performance is improved by action video game experience is long and still expanding

• Does this reflect many truly independent improvements? Or an improvement in ONE single skill that underlies all of these tasks?

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

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0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

NVGP RT (ms)

VGP RT (ms)

Posner Cueing (Greenfield et al 1994) TOVA (CSG & DB, unpublished data)

Inhibition of Return (Castel et al 2005) Simon Task (Bialystok 2006)

ANT (adult version - MWD, CSG, & DB, submitted) ANT (kid version - MWD, CSG, & DB, submitted)

Flanker Interference (Green & Bavelier, 2003) Nback (CSG & DB, unpublished data)

Visual Search (Castel et al 2005)

VGPRT = NVGPRT*.88R2 = .98

A Single Mechanism?A Single Mechanism?

Dye, Green and Bavelier, Current Directions in Psychological Science (2009)

A Single Mechanism?A Single Mechanism?

• Improvement in the ability to use sensory data to perform probabilistic inference

Perception as InferencePerception as Inference

The “problem” of perception

•The brain must determine what actual “world” created the pattern of data that it observes

• Because the data is always ambiguous, the best the brain can do is compute the probability that various “worlds” created the pattern of data

y

x

O

Perception as InferencePerception as Inference

Infinite number of 3D shapes can map to the same 2D image x

z

y

s

Perception as InferencePerception as Inference

Perception as InferencePerception as Inference

Deer or mailbox?

p(deer| sensory data)?

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

How close is subjects’ estimate of:

p(deer| sensory data)to the actual value?

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

Action Video Game Experience Improves Inference

• Result: Action video game experience leads to more efficient use of sensory evidence.

• Essentially, each little piece of evidence moves them further toward the true probability estimate.

Learn to Learn?Learn to Learn?

p(deer| sensory data) α p(sensory data | deer)

p(sensory data | deer): “likelihood”• isn’t known before the experiment• must be learned through experience

Conclusion• action video game experience teaches individuals to learn how bits of sensory data change the probability of outcomes

ImplicationsImplications

• Rehabilitation

• Slowing/reversing the normal decline with aging

• Surgeons/soldiers

• Education???

Acknowledgements

PhD AdvisorDaphne Bavelier

Bavelier Lab:Rebecca AchtmanAshley AndersonMatt DyeDavid FederNina FernandezRenjie LiMike Sugarman

Alex Pouget

Jeff BeckWeiji Ma

Thank YouThank You

Current Advisors:Daniel KerstenPaul Schrater