Individual differences in Game Transfer Phenomena are associated with creativity and positive schizotypy but not with perceptual priming

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.