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Plasticity
in the Visual System
The effect of video
games on visual attention
Investigators: C. Shawn Green, Rebecca Achtman,
Renjie Li, Matt Dye, and Mary Jo Maciejewski
Project
Overview
We have recently shown that playing first person point of
view, action video games affects several aspects of visual processing.
Video game players (VGPs) were found to outperform non-video game
players (NVGPs) on the localization of an eccentric target among
distractors, on the number of visual items they could apprehend
at once and on the fast temporal processing of visual information
(Green and Bavelier, submitted). We have hypothesized that changes
in visual attention contribute to these enhanced skills. The study
of VGPs therefore provides an efficient tool for determining which
visual skills can be altered by experience and for characterizing
the factors that favor transfer of learning.
Much remains to be done to characterize the effects of video game
playing on the visual system. First, it is not clear at this stage
which aspects of visual attention are modified. Second, although
our first studies have identified changes in visual attention, other
levels of processing may also be affected. Of particular interest
is the possibility that video game playing results in an enhancement
of sensory processing and/or an increased capacity in visual short-term
memory. Behavioral investigations will be combined with brain imaging
(fMRI) to allow a more direct characterization of the brain systems
that are modified by video game playing.
Web Demos
To view web-based demos of the tasks used in these experiments,
click
here.
Related Publications
- For related publications from our lab, please visit our Publications
page here.
Related Projects
Effects
of deafness on vision
Investigators:
Matt Dye and C. Shawn Green, in collaboration with Peter Hauser
Project
Overview
While there is ample literature suggesting that early auditory deprivation
hinders the organization of the visual system, recent research on
compensatory plasticity suggests that, on the contrary, a deficient
modality may result in enhancement of the remaining modalities.
The goal of this research is to assess and separate the effect of
deafness and of acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) on the
organization of the visual system. Visual abilities in hearing individuals
will be compared with those of deaf individuals. Since the literature
indicates that deafness and acquisition of ASL have different and
separate effects on the re-organization of visual functions, deaf
signers, deaf individuals with minimal exposure to sign, hearing
signers and hearing non-signers will be compared. First, the aspects
of the visual system that are modified will be determined by comparing
behavioral indices of visual processes in these four populations.
Then, we will assess underlying changes in neural substrates with
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Related Publications
- For related publications from our lab, please visit our Publications page here
.
Visual
functions in deaf and hearing children
Investigators:
Matt Dye and Nina Fernandez
Project
Overview (in
progress)
Whereas the literature indicates enhanced performance at least for
some visual functions in deaf adults, experiments with deaf children
mostly document deficits in visual processing. A recent study by
Rettenbach and collaborators (1999) reporting concurrently on the
performance of adult and children, suggests that delay in some aspects
of visual development may be the price paid for the ultimate reorganization
observed in adults. This research has important practical implications
for the deaf community, as deficits in visual processing are often
cited as the source of their reading difficulties. Deaf individuals
typically read at the fourth-grade level. The goal of this research
is to characterize visual skills in deaf children, and clarify how/whether
an early deficit in visual skills is compatible with improved performance
in adulthood. Finally, since these studies will determine the aspects
of visual perception that are most likely to reorganize and the
timing of these alterations, these results will also carry implications
for designing an optimal training curriculum for reading in the
deaf. In particular, it may be important to tailor the training
to the changes in visual skills observed throughout development.
Related Publications
- For related publications from our lab, please visit our Publications page here
.
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