Research Protocol: How can online games with different genres and spatial dimensions affect our divided attention? A 2 × 2 between subject study focusing on mobile games

Playing online games has the potential to improve cognitive abilities. Previous research has generally found that playing action video games can improve divided attention, though findings regarding the spatial dimension of games are inconsistent. The objective of this study is to investigate whether the genre and the spatial dimension of the mobile game have an impact on the cognitive ability of divided attention. It is hypothesized that playing action, 3D, and 3D action mobile games will each lead to better divided attention performance. 128 participants aged 18 to 40 from Arden University’s student forum will be recruited. The study will employ a 2 × 2 between subject design. The Simultaneity DIAT-SHIF test will be used to assess cognitive ability of divided attention.