Immersive Virtual Reality Assessments of Working Memory and Psychomotor Skills: A Comparison between Immersive and Non-Immersive Assessments

2025-03-08

AI Summary

Traditional computer-based cognitive assessments may lack ecological validity and exhibit demographic biases, limiting accessibility for aging and digitally disadvantaged populations. Method: This study systematically compared immersive VR (HTC Vive/Unity) with conventional PC platforms in assessing short-term memory, working memory, and psychomotor skills. Matched VR and PC versions of three standardized tasks—Digit Span, Corsi Block Tapping (CBT), and Deary-Liewald—were developed in Unity; subjective usability and user experience were evaluated via validated scales, and regression modeling examined predictors of performance. Contribution/Results: VR and PC assessments showed moderate-to-strong correlations (supporting convergent validity); VR yielded significantly higher usability and user satisfaction. Critically, VR performance was less susceptible to individual differences: only gaming experience predicted reverse CBT scores in VR, whereas PC performance was significantly influenced by age, computational experience, and gaming experience. This is the first empirical demonstration that VR-based assessment offers superior ecological validity, inclusivity, and cross-population fairness—establishing a more accessible, standardized paradigm for cognitive evaluation in aging and digitally marginalized groups.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Affective Computing
• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Intelligent Robots: Cognitive Robotics

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Metrics for user behavior and evaluating success
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements

Abstract

Objective: Immersive virtual reality (VR) enhances ecologically 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, and 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. Moderate-to-strong correlations between VR and PC versions supported convergent validity. Regression analyses revealed that performance on PC versions was influenced by age, 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 cognitive assessment. Future research should explore the long-term reliability of VR-based assessments.

Problem

• Compares immersive VR and PC-based cognitive assessments.
• Examines validity, user experience, and usability of VR assessments.
• Investigates impact of demographic and IT skills on assessment performance.

Innovation

• Immersive VR enhances ecological validity assessments.
• VR assessments less influenced by demographic factors.
• VR offers higher user experience and usability.