Giachero Alberto, Quadrini Agnese, Pisano Francesca, Calati Melanie, Rugiero Cristian, Ferrero Laura, Pia Lorenzo, Marangolo Paola
Aphasia Experimental Laboratory-Fondazione Carlo Molo Onlus, 10121 Turin, Italy.
Dipartimento di Psicologia, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy.
Brain Sci. 2021 Jun 9;11(6):766. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11060766.
Intellectual disability (ID) compromises intellectual and adaptive functioning. People with an ID show difficulty with procedural skills, with loss of autonomy in daily life. From an embodiment perspective, observation of action promotes motor skill learning. Among promising technologies, virtual reality (VR) offers the possibility of engaging the sensorimotor system, thus, improving cognitive functions and adaptive capacities. Indeed, VR can be used as sensorimotor feedback, which enhances procedural learning. In the present study, fourteen subjects with an ID underwent progressive steps training combined with VR aimed at learning gardening procedures. All participants were trained twice a week for fourteen weeks (total 28 sessions). Participants were first recorded while sowing zucchini, then they were asked to observe a virtual video which showed the correct procedure. Next, they were presented with their previous recordings, and they were asked to pay attention and to comment on the errors made. At the end of the treatment, the results showed that all participants were able to correctly garden in a real environment. Interestingly, action observation facilitated, not only procedural skills, but also specific cognitive abilities. This evidence emphasizes, for the first time, that action observation combined with VR improves procedural learning in ID.
智力残疾（ID）会损害智力和适应性功能。患有ID的人在程序技能方面存在困难，在日常生活中失去自主性。从具身认知的角度来看，观察动作有助于运动技能学习。在众多有前景的技术中，虚拟现实（VR）提供了激活感觉运动系统的可能性，从而改善认知功能和适应能力。事实上，VR可以用作感觉运动反馈，增强程序学习。在本研究中，14名患有ID的受试者接受了结合VR的渐进式步骤训练，旨在学习园艺程序。所有参与者每周接受两次训练，共训练14周（总计28节课程）。参与者首先在播种西葫芦时被录像，然后他们被要求观看一段展示正确程序的虚拟视频。接下来，向他们展示之前的录像，并要求他们注意并评论所犯的错误。治疗结束时，结果显示所有参与者都能够在真实环境中正确地进行园艺操作。有趣的是，动作观察不仅促进了程序技能，还促进了特定的认知能力。这一证据首次强调，动作观察与VR相结合可改善ID患者的程序学习。
