Immersive virtual reality assessments of working memory and psychomotor skills: A comparison between immersive and non-immersive assessments.

IF 1.8 4区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY

Journal of Neuropsychology Pub Date : 2025-10-07 DOI:10.1111/jnp.70014

Panagiotis Kourtesis, Andrea Lizarraga, Sarah E MacPherson

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: Immersive virtual reality (VR) enhances ecological validity and facilitates intuitive and ergonomic hand interactions for performing neuropsychological assessments. However, its comparability to traditional computerized methods remains unclear. This study investigates the convergent validity, user experience and usability of VR-based versus PC-based assessments of short-term and working memory, as well as psychomotor skills, while also examining how demographic and IT-related skills influence performance in both modalities.

Methods: Sixty-six participants performed the Digit Span Task (DST), Corsi Block Task (CBT) and Deary-Liewald Reaction Time Task (DLRTT) in both VR- and PC-based formats. Participants' experience in using computers and smartphones, and playing videogames, was considered. User experience and system usability of the formats were also evaluated.

Results: While performance on DST was similar across modalities, PC assessments enabled better performance on CBT and faster reaction times in DLRTT. Significant correlations between VR and PC versions supported convergent validity. Regression analyses revealed that performance on PC versions was influenced by computing and gaming experience, whereas performance on VR versions was largely independent of these factors, except for gaming experience predicting performance on CBT backward recall. Moreover, VR assessments received higher ratings for user experience and usability than PC-based assessments.

Conclusion: Immersive VR assessments provide an engaging alternative to traditional computerized methods, with minimal reliance on prior IT experience and demographic factors. This resilience to individual differences suggests that VR may offer a more equitable and accessible platform for automated cognitive assessment. Future research should explore the long-term reliability of VR-based assessments.

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工作记忆和精神运动技能的沉浸式虚拟现实评估：沉浸式和非沉浸式评估的比较。

目的：沉浸式虚拟现实（VR）增强生态效度，促进直观和符合人体工程学的手部交互，用于进行神经心理学评估。然而，其与传统计算机方法的可比性尚不清楚。本研究调查了基于vr和基于pc的短期记忆和工作记忆以及精神运动技能评估的收敛效度、用户体验和可用性，同时也研究了人口统计学和it相关技能如何影响这两种模式的表现。方法：66名参与者分别在虚拟现实和pc上进行数字跨度任务（DST）、Corsi块任务（CBT）和Deary-Liewald反应时间任务（DLRTT）。参与者使用电脑和智能手机以及玩电子游戏的经验也被考虑在内。还对格式的用户体验和系统可用性进行了评估。结果：虽然不同模式的DST表现相似，但PC评估使CBT表现更好，DLRTT反应时间更快。VR和PC版本之间的显著相关性支持收敛效度。回归分析显示，PC版本的表现受计算和游戏体验的影响，而VR版本的表现在很大程度上与这些因素无关，除了游戏体验预测CBT向后回忆的表现。此外，VR评估在用户体验和可用性方面的评分高于基于pc的评估。结论：沉浸式VR评估为传统的计算机化方法提供了一种引人入胜的替代方案，对先前的IT经验和人口因素的依赖最小。这种对个体差异的适应能力表明，虚拟现实可能为自动认知评估提供一个更公平、更容易获得的平台。未来的研究应探索基于vr的评估的长期可靠性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Neuropsychology 医学-心理学

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

4.50%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Neuropsychology publishes original contributions to scientific knowledge in neuropsychology including: • clinical and research studies with neurological, psychiatric and psychological patient populations in all age groups • behavioural or pharmacological treatment regimes • cognitive experimentation and neuroimaging • multidisciplinary approach embracing areas such as developmental psychology, neurology, psychiatry, physiology, endocrinology, pharmacology and imaging science The following types of paper are invited: • papers reporting original empirical investigations • theoretical papers; provided that these are sufficiently related to empirical data • review articles, which need not be exhaustive, but which should give an interpretation of the state of research in a given field and, where appropriate, identify its clinical implications • brief reports and comments • case reports • fast-track papers (included in the issue following acceptation) reaction and rebuttals (short reactions to publications in JNP followed by an invited rebuttal of the original authors) • special issues.