Table_1_Influence of game features on attention in adults.DOCX

IntroductionThe incorporation of game features into cognitive tasks can inform us about the influence of reward and motivation on attention. Continuous performance tasks (CPTs), designed to assess attention abilities, are examples of cognitive tasks that have been targeted for the addition of game features. However, previous results have been mixed regarding how game elements affect attention abilities and task performance.MethodsHere, we studied if there were factors that predict which individuals exhibit changes in attention from game features added to a CPT. Participants (N = 94, aged 21–71) played a traditional CPT and a game CPT with identical mechanics, but featured engaging game elements (aesthetics, storyline, competition, feedback, and reward).ResultsWe first found corroborating evidence that game features have mixed effects on attention performance: most attention metrics of interest exhibited no overall difference between the traditional and game CPT, while game elements reduced performance for a few metrics. Importantly, we also found that specific behavioral and demographic profiles predicted individual differences in performance on the game CPT compared to the traditional CPT. Those with more attention difficulties (ADHD symptoms), more reward responsiveness, and younger adults performed better on the game CPT while, conversely, those with fewer ADHD symptoms, less reward responsiveness, and older adults performed better on the traditional CPT.DiscussionThese findings provide insights into how game features can influence attention in different individuals and have important implications for the use of game elements in cognitive tasks and training interventions.

引言
将游戏特性融入认知任务中，有助于我们了解奖励与动机对注意力的影响。连续表现任务（CPTs），旨在评估注意力能力，是认知任务中添加游戏特性的目标之一。然而，关于游戏元素如何影响注意力能力和任务表现的研究结果并不一致。
方法
在本研究中，我们探究了是否存在预测个体在连续表现任务（CPT）中因添加游戏特性而出现注意力变化因素的变量。参与者（N=94，年龄介于21至71岁之间）分别玩了一个传统连续表现任务和一个游戏连续表现任务，两者在机制上相同，但包含了引人入胜的游戏元素（美学、故事情节、竞争、反馈和奖励）。
结果
我们发现，游戏特性对注意力表现的影响存在多样性：大多数关注的注意力指标在传统连续表现任务和游戏连续表现任务之间没有表现出总体差异，而游戏元素降低了某些指标的绩效。更重要的是，我们还发现，特定的行为和人口统计学特征可以预测个体在游戏连续表现任务上的表现与传统连续表现任务上的表现之间的差异。那些注意力困难程度较高（ADHD症状）、对奖励反应更敏感以及年龄较轻的个体在游戏连续表现任务上的表现更佳，而反之，那些ADHD症状较少、对奖励反应较不敏感以及年龄较大的个体在传统连续表现任务上的表现更佳。
讨论
这些发现揭示了游戏特性如何在不同个体中影响注意力，并对在认知任务和训练干预中运用游戏元素具有重要意义。