Researchers from the the University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University set out to find if a virtual reality (VR) headset could be used to analyze the executive functional load of the brain.
The team adapted the Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT) and added a kitchen test for their research. During the test, participants were tasked with planning a trip to the grocery store by comparing a list of recipes to what exists in a virtual kitchen. Grocery list creation captures daily working memory and performance.
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The 42 healthy college students participated in the study. To start, participants were asked to memorize ingredients from a recipe list. They then navigated a digital kitchen, checked for ingredients and attempt to memorize which ingredients they found. They then returned to the recipe list and crossed off the ingredients they believe are in the kitchen. Once they were done they “picked up” a wallet and left the virtual kitchen. To test executive functional load, the team increased the number of ingredients and recipes that participants had to memorize.
The results showed that participants took longer to compute grocery lists when they had to memorize more ingredients. The results also suggested that VR assessment can test the executive function and load of the brain.
Researchers were surprised to find that working memories were not related to how well a participant performed the task. The participants were switching strategies as their executive functional load increased. Some participants tried to memorize as many ingredients as possible before looking at the recipe, while others switched between going through the kitchen cabinets and examining the recipe. Strategy switching would explain why the team didn’t see a relationship between performance and participants’ working memory. The results proved the team's idea that VR assessment can test executive function load.
The team hopes that VR can be used to help people with executive function impairments.
The study was published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports.
