title: Identification of canonical neural events during continuous gameplay of an 8-bit style video game.
abstract: Cognitive neuroscience suffers from a unique and pervasive problem of generalizability. Since neural findings are often interpreted in the context of a specific manipulation during a carefully controlled task, it is hard to transfer knowledge from one task to another. In this report we address problems of generalizability with two methodological advancements. First, we aimed to transcend status quo experimental procedures with a continuous, engaging task environment. To this end, we created a novel 8-bit style continuous space shooter video game that elicits a multitude of goal-oriented events, such as crashing into a wall or blowing up an enemy with a missile. Second, we aimed to objectively define the psychological significance of these events. To achieve this aim, we used pattern classification of EEG data to derive predictive weights from carefully controlled pre-game exemplar events (oddball target detection and gambling wins and losses) and transferred those weights to EEG activities during video game events. All major goal-oriented events (crashes into the wall, crashes into an enemy, missile hit on an enemy) had a significant between-task transfer bias towards oddball target weights in the time range of the canonical P3, indicating the presence of similar salience detection processes. Missile hits on an enemy were specifically identified as gambling wins, confirming the hypothesis that this goal-oriented event was appetitive. These findings suggest that it is possible to identify the contribution of canonical neural activities during otherwise ambiguous and uncontrolled task performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Logan Hall, 1 University of New Mexico, MSC03 2220, USA. Electronic address: jcavanagh@unm.edu.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cavanagh
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Farris Engineering Building, 1 University of New Mexico, MSC01 1130, USA.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castellanos
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D018910:Video Games
keywords: EEG; Pattern classification; Reward; Salience; Transfer learning; Video game