No Effect of Expectancy on Visuospatial Attention in Brief Cognitive Training with Action Video Games

This study evaluated whether the expectation of cognitive improvement due to short-session practice with action games could affect visuospatial attention. All the 140 participants underwent a pre- and post-testing, or just a post-testing, of the Useful Field of View (UFoV) task in a single experimental session. Prior to the post-test, Placebo Group 1 watched a video inducing expectation of game-related effects on cognition, while Control Group 1 watched a control video, both followed by a 10-minute session of a virtual reality action video game. Placebo Group 2 and Control Group 2 underwent the same procedures, except for the pre-test (i.e., Solomon four-group experimental design). Although experimental manipulation induced expectation in Placebo Group 1 compared to Control Group 1, there were no differences of performance in the UFoV task. A comparison of Placebo Group 2 and Control Group 2 assessed an expectancy effect in the absence of a pre-test, and the results showed that the manipulation did not induce expectation, which was not observed in performance as well. A comparison among all experimental conditions in the post-test evidenced a carry-over effect caused by practice and suggests that performance in the placebo group may be benefited or intensified by a pre-testing. In summary, our results do not support previous investigations in the literature claiming that an expectancy effect may account for attentional gains in cognitive training studies.