The role of negative emotions in VR based cognitive testing: a pilot study

Abstract

Virtual Reality functions as a modern and immersive tool that can be utilized to evaluate cognitive performance for both research and clinical purposes. A variety of VR-based cognitive tasks present increasingly intricate challenges, complicating the generalization of findings, especially when contrasting traditional paper-and-pencil assessments with VR-based evaluations. Furthermore, VR has the capacity to evoke emotions, potentially induce cybersickness, and alter anxiety levels in participants. To systematically enhance our comprehension of the benefits of VR-based testing, we have developed a 1:1 replica of the Corsi Block-Tapping Task within a virtual environment, integrating neutral and negative emotional induction settings. We performed tests with elderly participants across the two VR environments, in addition to the conventional 'physical' Corsi Task in both the forward and backward conditions, measuring their performance, emotional responses, levels of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of cybersickness. Initial findings suggest that emotional states hinder performance in the simpler forward condition but enhance performance in the more challenging backward condition. Our conclusion is that negative emotional states, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, influence performance in virtual environments, but the direction and magnitude of their effects vary depending on the task, resulting in an interactional phenomenon rather than a universal process.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Spatial Working Memory, Corsi Block-tapping Task, Emotions

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007667