fNIRS Analysis of Interaction Techniques in Touchscreen-Based Educational Gaming

Shayla Sharmin, Elham Bakhshipour, Behdokht Kiafar, Mohammad Fahim Abrar, Pinar Kullu, Nancy Getchell, Roghayeh Leila Barmaki

Abstract: Educational games enhance learning experiences by integrating touchscreens, making interactions more engaging and intuitive for learners. However, the cognitive impacts of educational gameplay input modalities--such as the hand and stylus technique--are unclear. We compared the experience of using hands vs. stylus for touchscreens while playing an educational game by analyzing oxygenated hemoglobin ($\Delta HbO$) collected by functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and self-reported measures. In addition, we measured the hand versus the stylus modalities of the task and calculated the relative neural engagement (RNE) and relative neural involvement (RNI) using the ($\Delta HbO$) and the quiz score. Our findings show that the hand condition had a significantly lower ($\Delta HbO$) and RNI, yet higher RNE than the stylus condition, indicating the requirement of less cognitive effort. Additionally, self-reported measures reported statistically significant differences. The results suggest that hand-based input is more intuitive, less cognitively demanding, and less frustrating. Conversely, the use of a stylus required higher cognitive effort due to the cognitive balance of controlling the pen and answering questions.