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The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning

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The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning Hindawi Neural Plasticity Volume 2021, Article ID 8841156, 12 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8841156 Research Article The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning Yuening Yan ,1,2 Yi Li ,1,2 Xinyu Lou,1,2 Senqi Li,1,2 Yutong Yao,3 Diankun Gong ,1,2 Weiyi Ma ,4 and Guojian Yan 1,2 1The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China 2Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China 3Faculty of Natural Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK 4School of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Diankun Gong; [email protected], Weiyi Ma; [email protected], and Guojian Yan; [email protected] Received 31 August 2020; Revised 30 December 2020; Accepted 6 May 2021; Published 22 May 2021 Academic Editor: Jianzhong Su Copyright © 2021 Yuening Yan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Action video gaming (AVG) experience has been found related to sensorimotor and attentional development. However, the influence of AVG experience on the development of emotional perception skills is still unclear. Using behavioral and ERP measures, this study examined the relationship between AVG experience and the ability to decode emotional faces and emotional word meanings. AVG experts and amateurs completed an emotional word-face Stroop task prior to (the pregaming phase) and after (the postgaming phase) a 1 h AVG session. Within-group comparisons showed that after the 1 h AVG session, a more negative N400 was observed in both groups of participants, and a more negative N170 was observed in the experts. Between-group comparisons showed that the experts had a greater change of N170 and N400 amplitudes across phases than the amateurs. The results suggest that both the 1 h and long-term AVG experiences may be related to an increased difficulty of emotional perception. Furthermore, certain behavioral and ERP measures showed neither within- nor between-group differences, suggesting that the relationship between AVG experience and emotional perception skills still needs further research. 1. Introduction study explores the relationship between action video gaming (AVG) experience and emotional perception performance. Video gaming is becoming an increasingly important part of A major genre of video gaming, AVG emphasizes physi- our entertainment experience. Population-based research cal and cognitive challenges, such as hand-eye coordination suggests that 79.9% of 5- to 17-year-olds and 31.3% of [2], stimulus detection and analysis [3], and decision- adults spend some time on video gaming on a daily basis making under time pressure [4], just like traditional sports. [1]. A report of the Entertainment Software Association Researchers have proposed that AVG experience induces shows that 63% of U.S. households surveyed have at least plasticity of brain function and structure [5]. This proposi- one frequent gamer (http://www.theesa.com/about-esa/esa- tion is supported by the findings that AVG experience is annual-report/). Video gaming offers a new approach to related to improvements in various cognitive functions (e.g., acquiring knowledge and to facilitating cognitive develop- selective attention [6, 7], spatial distribution of visuospatial ment, thus providing us with a new, important venue for attention [8, 9], attentional capture [10], and behavioral understanding learning-related cognitive and neural plastic- performance in tasks of working memory and vision [11]) ity. Using both behavioral and neuroscience methods, this and the plasticity of brain structure and neutral network 2 Neural Plasticity connectivity (e.g., increased gray matter volume of insula [12] games can improve mood and increase positive emotion in and strengthened connection between sensorimotor and the players (e.g., [37–39]). Furthermore, video games can be attentional networks [13]). used to promote emotional intelligence in the 14-year-olds These studies have improved our knowledge of the influ- [40]. Video gaming may promote socioemotional skill devel- ence of AVG experience on sensorimotor and attentional opment because it can help players relieve stress after real-life development—essential components of physical and cogni- socioemotional problems (e.g., [38, 41]). Additionally, video tive development. However, human development consists gaming can improve emotional regulation strategies because of four domains: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional it rewards overcoming frustration and anxiety [42]. Further- developments [14]. A holistic approach to human develop- more, team video gaming offers a social environment that ment encompasses all the four domains [14]. Then, an can foster social bond, emotional communication, empathy, important question arises: How does AVG experience influ- and prosocial behavior in players [43, 44]. Finally, a success- ence emotional perception development? An examination ful video gaming experience induces feelings of achievement of this question is essential for any complete theories on the in players—beneficial to emotional skill development [45]. learning-related cognitive and brain plasticity. All these socioemotional elements are relevant to AVG. This study examines the influence of AVG experience on Thus, the effect of AVG experience on socioemotional the development of emotional perception skills. Essential to skill development is still unclear. This study examines the human experience [15], emotions guide us through complex relationship between action real-time strategy gaming social environment and help us adapt our behavior to opti- (ARSG) experience and the perception of emotional faces mize survival, health, and development [16]. Emotional and emotional word meanings. This study is aimed at deter- information can be encoded visually and auditorily. For mining whether emotional perception performance changes example, emotional information can be visually communi- after a brief ARSG session within a participant and whether cated through facial expressions [17], body postures [18], emotional perception performance differs between the ARSG and written language [19]. Emotional information can also experts and amateurs. ARSG is examined in this study be encoded through the modulations of acoustic attributes because (i) as a new AVG subgenre that is highly popular, (e.g., pitch, intensity, rate, stress, and pause) in speech, music, ARSG still remains understudied; (ii) ARSG includes and even environmental sounds [20–22]. This study exam- “action” elements, allowing us to examine the effect of action ines the decoding of emotional faces and emotional word video gaming on emotional skill development; and (iii) meanings in both AVG experts and amateurs. ARSG also includes “strategy” elements that offer players a There are two competing positions on the effect of AVG socioemotional environment for socioemotional communi- experience on emotional skill development. One position cation ([46]), thus allowing us to hypothesize that ARSG suggests that video gaming experience may hinder emotional may enhance emotional skill development. Recently, skill development [23]. For example, excessive video game research found that the “action” elements of ARSG may use is related to low self-esteem [24], low self-efficacy [25], enhance the salience network (SN) and the central executive anxiety and aggression [26], and symptoms of depression network (CEN)—two networks essential for attention and and anxiety disorders [27], all contributing to socioemotional working memory [47], while the “strategy” elements of deficits. Video gaming experience is also related to a lack of ARSG may enhance the functional integration between the real-life friends [28], stress and maladaptive coping [29], CEN and the default mode network (DMN) [48]. However, lower psychosocial well-being and loneliness [30], and psy- these findings do not speak to emotional perception skills. chosomatic problems [29, 31]. Video gaming experience Using behavioral (i.e., response time, accuracy) and ERP may be inversely related to socioemotional skill development measures, this study examined ARSG experts’ and amateurs’ because research suggests that individuals with weak socioe- performance in a Stroop task. This study used an established motional skills may use video games to avoid real-life socio- experimental procedure [49], referred to as an emotional emotional problems [32] and that video gaming reduces the face-word (EFW) Stroop task hereafter, in which participants time allocated for real-life socioemotional interaction [33], see a face across which a word is projected—where the emo- thus decreasing the opportunity to develop adequate socioe- tional meaning of the word and the facial expression is either motional skills. Furthermore, the exposure to the violent con- congruent or incongruent—and are asked to decode the tent of AVG may increase aggressive cognition and decrease emotional meaning of the face or the word. A Stroop effect empathy, thus hindering socioemotional skill development is the delay in response between the congruent and incongru- [34–36]. However,
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