The effects of text presentation format on reading comprehension and video game performance

• Reading comprehension influences applied task performance in a video game.
• Text presentation method influenced affect toward the task.
• Semantic chunking of text may aid applied task performance than RSVP.
• RSVP may be more engaging for learning than traditional text formats.

The military has used video games to help geographically distributed military teams develop specific skills in a safe, controlled environment. Military trainers have also used hand-held devices and rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of text and graphics for training and mission planning. This research continued previous work investigating the influence of RSVP of intelligence reports on task performance, reading comprehension, and affect. Seventy-eight participants moved through a video game to find a target avatar as quickly as possible based on intelligence reports. There were two presentation styles (RSVP or traditional) and two intelligence formats (content-relevant words or full sentences). Differences in task performance, reading comprehension, and affect occurred as a function of text presentation. Participants in the RSVP group found the medic more quickly when reading full sentences than when reading only content words. Individuals reading traditional text of content words scored higher on comprehension tests than when reading either RSVP format. Participants also found RSVP tasks to be more challenging and more engaging than traditional text formats. These results suggest researchers and trainers should continue to investigate RSVP to determine its applicability for training other skills.