Immediate Attention Enhancement and Restoration From Interactive and Immersive Technologies: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Interactive and immersive technologies such as video games, exergames, and virtual reality are typically regarded as entertainment mediums. They also offer a multitude of health and well-being benefits. They have the capacity to incorporate established well-being techniques (e.g., mindfulness, exercise, and play) and expose users to beneficial environment settings with greater ease, improved access, and a broader appeal. The authors conducted a scoping review to explore whether these technologies could be used to benefit attention in healthy adults, that is, in a regulatory sense such as during periods of cognitive fatigue or attention-critical tasks. Research efforts have typically focused on long-term practice methods for attention enhancement with these technologies. Instead, this review provides the first attempt to unify a broad range of investigations concerned with their immediate impact on attention through state-change mechanisms. This applies the concept of attention state training and a growing evidence base, which suggests that meditative practices, exercise bouts, and nature exposures can provide short-term improvements in attentional performance following brief interactions. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases resulted in 11 peer-reviewed articles (13 experimental trials) each including at least one objective measure of attention directly following the use of an interactive or immersive technology. Most studies involved interactive technologies (i.e., video games and exergames), whereas there were three immersive interventions in the form of virtual reality. The comparisons between baseline and postintervention showed mostly no effect on attention, although there were five cases of improved attention. There were no instances of negative effects on attention. The results are significant considering mounting concerns that technology use could be detrimental for cognitive functioning. The positive effects reported here indicate a need to specify the type of technology in question and bring attention to positive vs. negative technology interactions. Implications for the literature concerning attention state training are discussed considering promising effects of technology exposures geared toward flow state induction. Significant gaps in the literature are identified regarding the implementation of traditional attention state training practices.

The Value of Immersive Media in Expanding Chinese Public Cultural Participation and Its Realization Path From the Perspective of Cultural Education

“…The combination of technology integration and content innovation has facilitated the emergence of immersive products of media education and promoted the science of immersive media education. Interactive and immersive technologies can make it easier and more convenient for students to access beneficial environmental settings, which has a broader appeal ( Barton et al, 2020 ). In recent years, digital reading has shown significant advantages in enhancing the public’s cultural and aesthetic experience and strengthening the educational guidance function of works ( Xia, 2017 ).…”

Challenges and Opportunities of Immersive Technologies for Mindfulness Meditation: A Systematic Review

“…For example, Derthick (2014) presented an overview of the literature on meditation practice and technology use. Also Salehzadeh Niksirat et al (2017) and Barton et al (2020) dealt with the influence of interactive technologies on mindfulness meditation. Similar to psychology, HCI researchers define mindfulness as a mental state of experiencing of the present moment, while the most frequently cited constructs with respect to mindfulness are increased attention, presence, experience of body sensations, as well as a state of non-judgment, moment-to-moment awareness, and meditation/MBSR (Terzimehić et al, 2019).…”

Connecting to Nature through 360° Videos during COVID-19 Confinement: A Pilot Study of a Brief Psychological Intervention

“…These environments are often referred to as “restorative” because exposure to them involves the renewal of depleted cognitive resources and recovery from negative psychophysiological states [ 28 ]. Moreover, evidence has shown that natural environments have inherently restorative properties [ 29 , 30 ] and capture people's fascination [ 31 ].…”