Adolescents who engaged more with Crystals' empathy training mechanics showed greater increases in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation, controlling for total playtime¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Design limits · Kral 2018: no comparison group · Kral 2018 (2): no comparison group (read from the study by two models, 2026-10-27)

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Engagement with the training aspects of Crystals (number of first attempts at emotion recognition and emotion intensity ratings, combined into one engagement score) was associated with significantly higher increases in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation. → Kral 2018 q3 i? Total time playing Crystals was not associated with change in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation, and game engagement was not associated with change in empathic accuracy behavior. → Kral 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Kral 2018¶

Kral, T. R. A., Stodola, D. E., Birn, R. M., Mumford, J. A., Solis, E., Flook, L., Patsenko, E. G., Anderson, C. G., Steinkuehler, C. & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial. npj Science of Learning 3:13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0029-6

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Regression of change in empathic accuracy-modulated RTPJ BOLD onto a game engagement score built from telemetry (first tries at emotion recognition and intensity ratings), controlling for total playtime; the analysis reported t(30) = 2.92, p = 0.01, b = 0.47. No standardized effect size was printed.

"Engagement with the training aspects of Crystals was associated with significantly higher increases in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation ( t(30) = 2.92, p = 0.01, b = 0.47, CI [0.14, 0.79]"

Kral 2018 (2)¶

Kral, T. R. A., Stodola, D. E., Birn, R. M., Mumford, J. A., Solis, E., Flook, L., Patsenko, E. G., Anderson, C. G., Steinkuehler, C. & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial. npj Science of Learning 3:13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0029-6

q3 · i? · causal · r2

In the same telemetry regression analyses, total playtime did not predict RTPJ activation change (t(31) = −0.21, p = 0.84) and "no relationship between game engagement and change in empathic accuracy" was found; non-significant taser use and quest completions also failed to predict RTPJ change.

"There was no relationship between game engagement and change in empathic accuracy controlling for total playtime ( t(30) = 1.02, p = 0.32, b = 0.06, CI [ −0.06, 0.18]"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Emotional Intelligence — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Playing the empathy training game Crystals of Kaydor produced no greater improvement in adolescents' empathic accuracy than playing the commercial control game Bastion — related
• Adolescents with higher empathic accuracy report higher empathic concern, and improvements in the two track together over training — related
• Improvements in empathic accuracy after Crystals gameplay were associated with strengthened amygdala–MPFC resting-state connectivity relative to Bastion — related
• Crystals gameplay increased DMPFC–posterior cingulate resting-state connectivity relative to Bastion, specific to the empathic accuracy-related network — related