Effect of gamified perceptual learning on visual detection and discrimination skills in equine gait assessment

Starke, Sandra D.; Miles, Gregory C.; Channon, Sarah B.; May, Stephen A.

Abstract

Background: Visual assessment of equine lameness is an everyday veterinary task suffering from poor diagnostic accuracy. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of the perceptual learning game 'LamenessTrainer' on skill development. Methods: Thirty-six undergraduate veterinary students engaged in four game modules teaching the assessment of fore-and hindlimb lameness. Computer animations of horses in this game displayed 0% (sound) to 70% (moderately lame) vertical movement asymmetry of head and pelvis. Performance, learning effects, diagnostic accuracy, detection thresholds and survey responses were analysed. Results: Following staircase learning, more than 80% of students reliably classified horses with ≥20% asymmetry for forelimb lameness, ≥40% asymmetry for simplified hindlimb lameness and ≥50% asymmetry for realistic hindlimb lameness. During random presentation, on average 82% of sound and 65% of lame horses were assessed correctly during forelimb lameness evaluation, dropping to 39% of sound and 56% of lame horses for hindlimb lameness. Conclusion: In less than two hours, systematic perceptual learning through deliberate practice can develop visual assessment skills to an accuracy level comparable to expert assessors scoring the same animations. Skills should be developed further to improve misclassifications of sound and mildly lame horses, especially for hindlimb lameness evaluation.

Citation

Starke, S. D., Miles, G. C., Channon, S. B., & May, S. A. (2021). Effect of gamified perceptual learning on visual detection and discrimination skills in equine gait assessment. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.21

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 3, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Mar 1, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2021
• Journal: Veterinary Record
• Print ISSN: 0042-4900
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.21
• Keywords: General Veterinary; General Medicine
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1547714