Individual differences in Game Transfer Phenomena are associated with creativity and positive schizotypy but not with perceptual priming
- 1Autonomous University of Hidalgo State
Abstract
Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) refer to involuntary experience of video-game elements as part of gamers everyday perception, cognition, and behaviour. Although previous research has identified Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), positive schizotypy, and spontaneous cognitions (e.g., mind-popping, daydreaming) as key predictors of GTP, the role of implicit memory processes and creativity remains unclear. The present study examined whether these cognitive processes are associated with GTP frequency while replicating established predictors such as IGD, involuntary cognitions, and schizotypal traits. A total of 85 video game players (53% males; Mage = 24.89, SD = 5.87) completed a word fragment completion task to assess individual differences in perceptual implicit memory (priming). To measure creativity, participants completed the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) as a measure of divergent thinking, and a free association task to estimate forward flow, a robust predictor of creative cognition. Results showed robust priming effects at the group level (M = .23, SD = .14), however, individual differences in perceptual priming were not associated with GTP frequency. In contrast, AUT scores were positively associated with GTP and contributed uniquely to its prediction. A hierarchical regression model explained 58.2% of the variance in GTP frequency, with IGD, daydreaming, and positive schizotypy as the strongest predictors, alongside hours played per session and AUT scores. These findings suggest that GTP may not be driven by domain-general perceptual implicit memory processes but may be more strongly linked to individual differences in spontaneous cognitions and conceptual associative priming processes.
Related
- Individual differences reveal shared computational structure in perceptual decision-making
- Color naming needs a non-uniform perceptual prior: Individual differences in hue scaling and the vision–language interface
- Differences in rumen microbiome protein metabolism are associated with individual variation in rumen bloating on high-concentrate diets.
- A brain-behavior generative model links individual brain dynamics to perceptual decisions
- Alignment of visual brain encoding models with individual perceptual similarity judgments
BibTeX
@misc{llamasalonso2026individual,
title = {{Individual differences in Game Transfer Phenomena are associated with creativity and positive schizotypy but not with perceptual priming}},
author = {J. C. Llamas-Alonso and L. Kvavilashvili and G. Georgiou and A. B. Ortiz de Gortari},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.27.762403},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.762403v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Individual differences in Game Transfer Phenomena are associated with creativity and positive schizotypy but not with perceptual priming
AU - J. C. Llamas-Alonso
AU - L. Kvavilashvili
AU - G. Georgiou
AU - A. B. Ortiz de Gortari
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.27.762403
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.762403v1
AB - Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) refer to involuntary experience of video-game elements as part of gamers everyday perception, cognition, and behaviour. Although previous research has identified Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), positive schizotypy, and spontaneous cognitions (e.g., mind-popping, daydreaming) as key predictors of GTP, the role of implicit memory processes and creativity remains unclear. The present study examined whether these cognitive processes are associated with GTP frequency while replicating established predictors such as IGD, involuntary cognitions, and schizotypal traits. A total of 85 video game players (53% males; Mage = 24.89, SD = 5.87) completed a word fragment completion task to assess individual differences in perceptual implicit memory (priming). To measure creativity, participants completed the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) as a measure of divergent thinking, and a free association task to estimate forward flow, a robust predictor of creative cognition. Results showed robust priming effects at the group level (M = .23, SD = .14), however, individual differences in perceptual priming were not associated with GTP frequency. In contrast, AUT scores were positively associated with GTP and contributed uniquely to its prediction. A hierarchical regression model explained 58.2% of the variance in GTP frequency, with IGD, daydreaming, and positive schizotypy as the strongest predictors, alongside hours played per session and AUT scores. These findings suggest that GTP may not be driven by domain-general perceptual implicit memory processes but may be more strongly linked to individual differences in spontaneous cognitions and conceptual associative priming processes.
ER -