MEASURING SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF VISUAL ATTENTION IN ACTION VIDEO GAME

In this study, we applied a gaze-contingent window method to measure the spatial distribution of visual attention while playing an action video game. The peripheral visual field of a player was restricted to an area around the gaze by masks with various spatial extents. The quantitative relationship between window size and game performance confirmed that superior players had a wider distribution of visual attention than inferior players. An additional analysis of eye movements showed that the mean length of saccadic eye movements (indicating an overt allocation of attention) of inferior players was comparable to that of superior players. These results suggest that the difference in game performance between inferior and superior players may be due to the qualitative difference in the efficiency of covert allocation of visual attention. The present study also indicates the applicability of the gazecontingent window method for the online evaluations of performance and learning during dynamic visual-motor tasks.

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