Development and Validation of Extended Reality Attentional Visual Field Tasks

Abstract

A visuospatial attention measurement tool such as the Attentional Visual Field (AVF) task has been widely used in prior research to assess the spatial distribution of visual attention using a computerized task displaying visual targets on a computer screen. Although this computer-based task has been useful for examining individual differences in visuospatial attention and associated safety implications such as crash risk while driving, the computer-based task is limited due to its constraints. Newer AVF tasks were developed using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology, and the results of the two evaluation studies provided partial evidence for the validities of the new AVF tasks. Overall, our current findings suggest that VR and AR versions of the AVF task can capture some aspects of visuospatial attention and that further validation and improvement are needed to establish the robustness of these new methods.