The influence of neuroticism personality trait on user interaction with game-based hand rehabilitation training

Abstract

Gamification has emerged as a method in rehabilitation training to increase users’ adherence, subjective perception, and physical fitness. Neuroticism personality trait can take an active role in affecting people’s behavior during the rehabilitation process. However, little research has been conducted to study whether and how neuroticism may influence users’ interaction with the game-based rehabilitation training. In this manuscript, we conduct a laboratory-controlled experiment that not only measured the influence of neuroticism on users’ perception with the game-based hand rehabilitation training but also employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to in-depth reveal how neuroticism may influence users’ brain functions. The results show that, for people with high neuroticism, the game-based hand rehabilitation training can significantly improve their subjective perceptions and brain functions. The findings could be useful for developing a more effective hand rehabilitation training based on user personality.