No Evidence of Expectancy Effect on Visuospatial Attention in Cognitive Training with Action Video Games

No Evidence of Expectancy Effect on Visuospatial Attention in Cognitive Training with Action Video Games | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Short Report No Evidence of Expectancy Effect on Visuospatial Attention in Cognitive Training with Action Video Games Edimilson Gonçalves, Gabriel Arantes Tiraboschi, Sérgio Sheiji Fukusima, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6938565/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Journal of Cognitive Enhancement → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study assessed whether the expectation of cognitive improvement due to action video game playing could affect visuospatial attention. All the 140 participants underwent a pre- and post-testing, or just a post-testing, of the Useful Field of View (UFoV) task in a single experimental session. Prior to the post-test, Placebo Group 1 watched a video inducing expectation of game-related effects on cognition, while Control Group 1 watched a control video, both followed by a 10-minute session of a virtual reality action video game. Placebo Group 2 and Control Group 2 underwent the same procedures, except for the pre-test (i.e., Solomon four-group experimental design). Although experimental manipulation induced expectation in Placebo Group 1 compared to Control Group 1, there were no differences of performance in the UFoV task. A comparison of Placebo Group 2 and Control Group 2 assessed an expectancy effect in the absence of a pre-test, and the results showed that the manipulation did not induce expectation, which was not observed in performance as well. A comparison among all experimental conditions in the post-test evidenced a carry-over effect caused by practice and suggests that performance in the placebo group may be benefited or intensified by a pre-testing. In summary, our results do not support previous investigations in the literature claiming that an expectancy effect may account for attentional gains in cognitive training studies. Expectancy effects Placebo effect Attention Video games Cognitive training Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files 4.AppendixScriptsusedinthevideos.docx Control1InstructionsVideo.mp4 Control2InstructionsVideo.mp4 Placebo1InstructionsVideo.mp4 Placebo2InstructionsVideo.mp4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 12 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Journal of Cognitive Enhancement → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6938565","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Short Report","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":475922055,"identity":"57a4896f-1025-47c8-8efe-b2dcb697902c","order_by":0,"name":"Edimilson 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