Enhancing reading performance through action video games: the role of visual attention span

Abstract

Recent studies reported that Action Video Game-AVG training improves not only certain attentional components, but also reading fluency in children with dyslexia. We aimed to investigate the shared attentional components of AVG playing and reading, by studying whether the Visual Attention (VA) span, a component of visual attention that has previously been linked to both reading development and dyslexia, is improved in frequent players of AVGs. Thirty-six French fluent adult readers, matched on chronological age and text reading proficiency, composed two groups: frequent AVG players and non-players. Participants performed behavioural tasks measuring the VA span, and a challenging reading task (reading of briefly presented pseudo-words). AVG players performed better on both tasks and performance on these tasks was correlated. These results further support the transfer of the attentional benefits of playing AVGs to reading, and indicate that the VA span could be a core component mediating this transfer. The correlation between VA span and pseudo-word reading also supports the involvement of VA span even in adult reading. Future studies could combine VA span training with defining features of AVGs, in order to build a new generation of remediation software.

Figure 1

Global report task - Letter identification by position (1a) and left-right hemifield relative performance (1b) for the AVG players () and non-players (). Error bars represent one standard error.

Figure 2

Partial report task - Letter identification by position for the AVG players () and non-players (). Error bars represent one standard error.

Figure 3

Correlations between a composite measure of VA span and pseudo-word reading accuracy for the AVG players () and non-players ().