Embodied simulations improve memory, but which is the most effective? The crucial role of action observation and its dynamic interplay with motor imagery ability.

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has emerged as a growing public health concern among adolescents and young adults worldwide (, ). Excessive and maladaptive gaming behaviors have been associated with a range of negative outcomes, including impaired academic functioning, emotional distress, sleep problems, and social difficulties (, ). Given its increasing prevalence and associated health burden across different countries and cultural contexts, IGD has attracted considerable attention from researchers and public health professionals worldwide (). Although IGD risk has been included as a condition warranting further study in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and formally recognized in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), its psychological determinants and contextual risk factors remain incompletely understood. Identifying modifiable psychological and behavioral correlates of IGD risk is therefore essential for advancing prevention and early intervention efforts in youth populations. Accumulating research has increasingly shifted attention from gaming behaviors per se to the underlying psychological processes that may predispose individuals to problematic gaming. Within compensatory internet use frameworks, problematic gaming is often conceptualized as a maladaptive coping strategy through which individuals attempt to manage unmet psychological needs and negative emotional states, such as boredom and loneliness (). Within the psychological landscape of IGD risk, boredom proneness and loneliness have emerged as prominent empirical focal points. Boredom, defined by low arousal and a perceived lack of meaningful engagement, often compels individuals to pursue the heightened stimulation and immediate reinforcement inherent in online gaming. Empirical evidence suggests that elevated boredom proneness is closely associated with increased gaming frequency and IGD risk (). Similarly, loneliness, the subjective experience of social deficit, has been identified as a robust predictor of problematic gaming. Online games offer alternative platforms for social interaction and identity exploration, which may be particularly salient for lonely individuals seeking a sense of belonging (). While both factors are associated with IGD risk, they represent distinct emotional pathways and relate differently to daily digital engagement. Understanding these distinct pathways may help identify contextual factors that strengthen or weaken their associations with IGD risk. The relevance of these psychological factors may be further shaped by specific educational and developmental contexts. In China, students enrolled in vocational schools represent a distinctive adolescent population that remains relatively understudied in the IGD literature. Vocational education typically emphasizes skill-based training and early career preparation, accompanied by educational structures and daily routines that differ from general academic tracks. During this developmental stage, students are simultaneously navigating identity formation and emotional regulation, while experiencing varying degrees of academic and social demands. Digital media use, including online gaming and music app engagement, constitutes an important component of daily leisure and emotional coping in this group (). However, despite their potential relevance to behavioral addiction research, vocational school students have been relatively overlooked in empirical studies examining IGD risk and its associated psychological mechanisms (). This population may be particularly important to study because vocational students often experience distinct educational environments, career-related pressures, and patterns of digital media engagement, all of which may shape their vulnerability to problematic gaming behaviors and related psychological difficulties.