The Impact of Exposure Time and Interference from Cognitive Activity on the Frequency of Involuntary Videogame Thoughts

Involuntary thoughts of all kinds come to mind, including those about videogames. Amount of exposure and cognitive activity can affect involuntary thought frequency. I explored the effects of exposure time, task type, and cognitive load on involuntary videogame thought frequency experienced immediately after gameplay and 24-hours later. I found that the higher amount of exposure time to a videogame leads to an increase in involuntary thought frequency 24-hours later. I also found that involuntary thoughts are less likely to come to mind during a higher cognitive load activity, than a low cognitive load activity. Though there is a need for replication, videogames can be used to induce and investigate involuntary thoughts.