网络游戏中化身参照的加工优势:来自行为与ERPs的证据

Processing priority for avatar reference in online games:Evidence from behavioral and ERPs studies

采用R/K范式和事件相关电位技术(ERPs)分别从加工结果和加工过程考察网络游戏中化身参照的加工优势。实验1采用R/K范式比较40名玩家在不同参照条件下的记忆成绩。结果发现:化身参照的总再认正确率、R反应再认正确率和辨别力d’都显著优于他人参照,初步证实化身参照的记忆加工优势。实验2借助ERPs内隐地考察网络游戏中20名玩家的化身参照在加工时间进程上的神经机制。结果发现:加工化身名字比熟悉他人名字诱发更大的P2(160~260 ms)和P3(370~600 ms)波幅,比外国熟悉他人名字的P3潜伏期更短。结果表明,相比较其他信息,玩家不仅能够迅速注意到化身相关信息,还对化身相关信息进行了更加精细和深入地加工。综上所述,无论是记忆结果还是加工时间进程,都存在网络游戏中的化身参照加工优势。

As one of the ways to present oneself in virtual environments,avatars in online games exert an important influence on players’cognition and behavior in both virtual and real life.The self-reference effect suggests that materials related to oneself are easier to remember than materials related to others.Due to the manipulability and high emotional involvement of avatars,players may feel close to their avatars and can sometimes even be integrated with them.Therefore,for game players,avatar-related information may have the same processing priority as self-related information.In the current study,we designed two experiments to investigate the processing priority of avatars in online games.Experiment 1 recruited 40 players of League of Legends(LOL)to investigate the processing priority of avatar reference in online games from the perspective of memory.This experiment adopted the R/K paradigm to compare memory performance under three different reference conditions(avatar-name,self-name and familiar other’s name).Experiment 2 recruited 20 players of LOL to investigate the processing priority of avatar-related information in online games from the perspective of neural mechanisms,with event related potential(ERP)technology.This experiment adopted the oddball paradigm to compare the brain mechanisms of three kinds of stimulations(the names of familiar avatar,familiar other from the same country and familiar other from other country).Results of behavioral experiment(Experiment 1)showed that:(1)The total recognition rate,R response recognition rate,and discrimination d′in the avatar-reference condition were much better than those in the other-reference condition,which preliminarily suggests that there were memory processing priorities of avatar reference in online games.(2)When referring to self-reference,the total recognition rate,response recognition rate,and discrimination d′were much better than those in the conditions of the avatar-reference and other-reference.In summary,the preliminary results of Experiment 1 confirmed the superiority of avatar reference in memory performance,but the avatar-reference effect was not as strong as the self-reference effect.Results of ERP(Experiment 2)showed that in the P2(160~260 ms)processing stage,greater amplitude was induced when processing the name of the avatar than that of familiar others from a different country.In terms of P3(370~600 ms),greater amplitude was induced when processing the name of the avatar than the names of familiar others from the same country and other country.Moreover,compared with processing the names of familiar others from other countries,the latency was shorter when processing the avatar’s name.Both behavioral and ERPs results indicate that there exists processing priority of avatar-reference effect in both memory and neural mechanisms.Specifically,compared with familiar others,online game players have processing priority for information related to avatars.The present study expands the theory of reference effect and provides evidence for the processing priority of the avatar-reference in online games from cognitive neuroscience.