EFEITOS DOS JOGOS DE AÇÃO NA SENSIBILIDADE AO CONTRASTE EM ADULTOS

Abstract

Studies investigating the effects of games on visual processing has been increased; however, results were underreported. There is a need to understand the ways in which contrast sensitivity can be affected (or enhanced). The aim of this study was to investigate a relationship between action games and sensitivity to visual contrast (frequencies ranging from 0.2 to 19.8 cycles per degree) in experienced and non-experienced players. 60 volunteers participated in the study, 30 from the group of experienced players (GJE, M = 22,70; SD = 4,97 years) and 30 from the control group (CG, M = 21,86; SD = 3,47 years). Contrast sensitivity measurements for achromatic stimuli were performed using the Metropsis software (version 11). The results showed statistically significant differences between the groups only for a spatial frequency of 8.8 cycles per degree (cpg), with average effect [t(58) = 2.10, p <0.05, Cohen's = 0.51] In further analysis, it was found that there were statistically significant differences between players who played ≤ 20 hours and those who played > 20 hours per week for frequencies of 6.1 [t(28)= 2.76, p< 0.01, d de Cohen = 1,00], 8.8 [t(28)= 2.54, p< 0.05, d de Cohen = 0.93] and 19.8 [t(28)= 2.14, p< 0.05, d de Cohen = 0.78] cpg. Thus, the present study demonstrated that, although no significant differences were observed in all frequencies, it is important to mention the participant's weekly game time that slightly influenced the reduction in the amount of luminance used to identify a stimulus. However, it is necessary to carry out further studies to investigate which components of the action games produced with improved performance, combining different methods.