Abstract
Task-specific training in immersive virtual reality environments (IVREs) can provide practice for skills that are transferred to real-world settings. The present study examined skill acquisition and retention of a non-injured population performing a complex, sensorimotor navigation task in the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN). Seventeen subjects participated twice weekly for 6 weeks, with follow-up visits at 3-month intervals for 1 year. Subjects performed a navigation task, where they drove a virtual boat through a scene using weight shifting and body movement. Subjects improved over time on all outcome measures. A significant effect was observed for visit number on total score, time to complete the task, number of buoys navigated successfully, and number of penalties incurred. Task-specific training in IVREs may be effective for operational skills training and rehabilitation of injured populations by employing tasks that lead to long-term retention.
Highlights
Task-specific training has been used successfully in a variety of injured and healthy populations [1,2,3,4] and can serve as a method of providing practice before applying the skills in real-world settings
The purpose of this study was to understand the adaptation of healthy, non-injured adults performing a navigation task in an Immersive virtual reality environments (IVREs) and to determine the long-term retention of this task-specific training over time
Post hoc comparisons indicated no significant difference in total score for any sequential visits
Summary
Task-specific training has been used successfully in a variety of injured and healthy populations [1,2,3,4] and can serve as a method of providing practice before applying the skills in real-world settings. Various studies have analyzed the effect of different methods of training a motor skill and demonstrated that mentally practicing a motor skill provides some improvement in performance [5], but it does not serve as a replacement for physical practice [6]. Previous work studying task-specific training of the wounded warrior has shown improvements in skill learning and retention in IVREs [4]. In military and law enforcement populations, more realistic training scenarios have a greater physiological effect on subjects compared with less realistic training on the same skill. These scenarios have produced greater motivation to succeed in subsequent trainings [12, 13]. The more realistic the EAI Endorsed Transactions on environment, the more transferrable the performance improvements may be
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