The Effect of Knowledge of Results during Computerized System Training

Abstract

The proliferation of commercial computerized systems to improve cognitive functions has helped many people, yet several key issues remain open. The current research focuses on the effect of feedback given to trainees in a computerized training system for visual attention. The visual attention skill was trained specifically to control temporal integration: a process in which a series of stimuli with a short break between them is combined together into one stimulus. Two training groups were compared: one with complete feedback during the training (Feedback group) and one without (No Feedback group), with 15 trainees in each group. The results demonstrated that the Feedback group’s performance was significantly poorer compared to the No Feedback group as assessed by the number of errors in new sets (measured during training). The deterioration observed in performance during training is not a common phenomenon. We explain these results by the theory of overconfidence. Based on the research results, we assert that giving feedback during cognitive computerized training can lead to undesirable consequences also in training, and should be re-considered.

Keywords: Feedback, Computerized Training Systems, Temporal Integration, Visual Attention

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100224