Redlinger Eric, Glas Bernhard, Rong Yang
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Institute of Innovative Research / Koike & Yoshimura Lab, Tokyo, Japan.
Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Apr 28;10(2):e35295. doi: 10.2196/35295.
Although the pursuit of improved cognitive function through working memory training has been the subject of decades of research, the recent growth in commercial adaptations of classic working memory tasks in the form of gamified apps warrants additional scrutiny. In particular, the emergence of virtual reality as a platform for cognitive training presents opportunities for the use of novel visual features.
This study aimed to add to the body of knowledge regarding the use of game-like visual design elements by specifically examining the application of two particular visual features common to virtual reality environments: immersive, colorful backgrounds and the use of 3D depth. In addition, electroencephalography (EEG) data were collected to identify potential neural correlates of any observed changes in performance.
A simple visual working memory task was presented to participants in several game-like adaptations, including the use of colorful, immersive backgrounds and 3D depth. The impact of each adaptation was separately assessed using both EEG and performance assessment outcomes and compared with an unmodified version of the task.
Results suggest that although accuracy and reaction time may be slightly affected by the introduction of such game elements, the effects were small and not statistically significant. Changes in EEG power, particularly in the beta and theta rhythms, were significant but failed to correlate with any corresponding changes in performance. Therefore, they may only reflect cognitive changes at the perceptual level.
Overall, the data suggest that the addition of these specific visual features to simple cognitive tasks does not appear to significantly affect performance or task-dependent cognitive load.
尽管通过工作记忆训练来追求改善认知功能一直是数十年研究的主题，但近年来以游戏化应用程序形式对经典工作记忆任务进行商业改编的现象日益增多，这值得进一步审视。特别是，虚拟现实作为认知训练平台的出现为使用新颖视觉特征提供了机会。
本研究旨在通过具体考察虚拟现实环境中常见的两种特定视觉特征的应用，即沉浸式彩色背景和3D深度的使用，来丰富有关类似游戏的视觉设计元素使用的知识体系。此外，还收集了脑电图（EEG）数据，以确定所观察到的性能变化的潜在神经关联。
向参与者呈现了一个简单的视觉工作记忆任务的几种类似游戏的改编形式，包括使用彩色沉浸式背景和3D深度。分别使用EEG和性能评估结果对每种改编形式的影响进行评估，并与未修改的任务版本进行比较。
结果表明，尽管引入此类游戏元素可能会对准确性和反应时间产生轻微影响，但影响较小且无统计学意义。EEG功率的变化，特别是在β波和θ波节律中，是显著的，但与性能的任何相应变化均无相关性。因此，它们可能仅反映了感知层面的认知变化。
总体而言，数据表明在简单认知任务中添加这些特定视觉特征似乎不会显著影响性能或任务相关的认知负荷。
