The effect of video games on visual attention

The three primary experiments described in the May 29th, 2003 issue of the journal Nature are available to try. Instructions and links are below. Each is designed to take under 10 minutes and includes a brief practice section. They are not intended to give anything more than cursory behavioral information. The original experiments were done with much greater control over environment and display, and obtained much more data from many subjects. Because the experiments are cached in a secure file on your hard drive before they begin, internet speed is not a factor. However, some systems will display the experiments much better than others.

Optimal Hardware:

  • Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitor. Flat panel displays do not update quickly enough for some of the stimuli and cause flickering. Laptops and flat panels will result in poor data.
  • Refresh rate of at least 75 Hz. Some stimuli are intended to appear for as little as 15 milliseconds, so settings of 85 Hz or above are preferable.

  • Please take the time to adjust your monitor until you can distinguish the six boxes in the image above and the black and white are true.
  • Shockwave Media Player. The player will automatically take you to a download page if you do not have it installed.
1. Enumeration (subitizing)
2. Useful Field of View (UFOV)
3. A-B Task

In this experiment, between 1 and 9 small white squares are flashed briefly in a small area of the screen.

On each trial, your task is to observe and then respond with how many you think were there. In the above image, you would respond with the number 6. Use only the numbers at the top of your keyboard. Speed is important, but accuracy is more so. Try to think back and count how many there were if you need to.

There are two parts to this experiment. On each trial in the first, a target (a triangle inscribed in a circle) is briefly

flashed on one of 8 imaginary spokes extending from the center of the screen (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal). Using the number pad on your keyboard, your task is to observe and press a key corresponding to the spoke the target was on.

In this experiment, a series of black letters will be displayed on a gray background one after another very quickly in the center of the screen. One of the letters will be white. In each trial, you have two tasks. First, you must notice and remember which letter was white. In some trials, one of the letters displayed after the white letter will be an 'X'. This is the only place an 'X' can ever occur. Your second task is to notice whether or not an 'X' was presented. At the end of the trial, you respond by pressing the key of the white letter, and then by pressing either "Y" (yes) or "N" (no) to indicate whether an 'X' was presented.
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