VR gamification for cognitive assessment: evaluating visual search, response inhibition, and visual short-term memory (Preprint)

Abstract

Cognitive tasks are essential tools in psychology and neuroscience research, offering insights into various mental processes such as attention, perception, and memory. These tasks often involve simple stimuli, such as alphanumeric characters and shapes, and a large number of trials, a deliberate design choice aimed at controlling for extraneous variables and ensuring the reliability of the results. While this methodological approach is crucial for maintaining experimental rigor and validity, it may inadvertently lead to issues regarding participant engagement.

The main objective of the present empirical study was to investigate whether gamified versions of 3 established cognitive tasks, namely the Visual Search, the Whack-the-Mole, and the Corsi block tasks yield the same patterns of results as their traditional counterparts. These three tasks were chosen because they are commonly used to assess attention and visual short-term memory, which are crucial for many everyday tasks.

Participants executed our gamified versions of the Visual Search, the Whack-the-Mole, and the Corsi Block in one of three conditions: in Immersive Virtual Reality (VR-Lab), in a desktop VR environment presented in the lab (Desktop-Lab), and in a desktop VR environment experienced at home (Desktop-Remote).

The pattern of results from these gamified tasks replicated those reported in the literature about their traditional counterparts that typically employ simple stimuli and are longer in duration. Notably, some differences in findings were observed across the three administration conditions (VR-Lab, Desktop-Lab, and Desktop-Remote). In the Visual Search and the Whack-the-Mole tasks participants were 250ms and 70ms faster to respond in the VR-Lab than in the Desktop-Lab condition. Moreover, in the Whack-the-Mole task, participants were 160ms faster when carrying out the task in the Desktop-Lab than in the Desktop-Remote condition.

Despite these differences, overall, the findings of the study confirm the potential of VR technology as a tool for assessing cognitive performance with tasks that can potentially increase participant engagement.