Investigating the Effects of Feedback Modality on Sustained Attention and Performance in a Serious Game, A Pilot Study

Abstract

Research has shown that serious games can improve cognitive functions, particularly attention. Feedback, a key component in serious games, is typically delivered through various modalities such as auditory, visual, and tactile channels. This study investigates how different feedback modalities (auditory, visual, and tactile) affect sustained attention during a 12-sessiontraining period in a sample of 19 participants. A custom-built Android car racing game was used to test four groups: auditory feedback, visual feedback, tactile feedback, and a control group with no feedback. We analysed participants' sustained attention throughcorrect responses and errors, using both statistical methods and the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to track behavioural patterns. While the three feedback,groups showed no significant differences in correct responses, theauditory feedback group made the fewest errors, while the visual and tactile groups showed the most improvement over time in errorreduction. HMM results suggested that feedback modalities did not significantly influence path choices between target and non-target cars but did affect the precision of those decisions. These findings highlight the potential of feedback in serious games to improvesustained attention, addressing a gap in the literature and offering insights for future cognitive training interventions.