Abstract
This paper presents the MnemoCity task, which is a 3D application that introduces the user into a totally 3D virtual environment to evaluate spatial short-term memory. A study has been carried out to validate the MnemoCity task for the assessment of spatial short-term memory in children, by comparing the children’s performance in the developed task with current approaches. A total of 160 children participated in the study. The task incorporates two types of interaction: one based on standard interaction and another one based on natural interaction involving physical movement by the user. There were no statistically significant differences in the results of the task using the two types of interaction. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were not found in relation to gender. The correlations between scores were obtained using the MnemoCity task and a traditional procedure for assessing spatial short-term memory. Those results revealed that the type of interaction used did not affect the performance of children in the MnemoCity task.
Highlights
One of the most critical cognitive abilities in humans is storing the representation of stimuli that were experienced at a certain time in the past
The benefits of using virtual environments (VEs) in psychology arise from the fact that movements in virtual space and accompanying perceptual changes are treated by the brain in much the same way as those in an equivalent real space [13]
One of the main advantages of our system is that it allows the user to feel immersed in a large-scale complex virtual environment, which gives the user the sensation of being in a real environment
Summary
One of the most critical cognitive abilities in humans is storing the representation of stimuli that were experienced at a certain time in the past. Spatial memory generally refers to the ability to store representations of spatial stimuli. This type of memory allows us to find a place that was visited previously, follow a route after consulting a map or remember the place where we left our belongings, among other examples [2]. The use of computer-based technologies has increased in a variety of fields and may provide an advantage over traditional methods. This has already been demonstrated in fields like psychology or education [3,4,5,6,7]. The benefits of using virtual environments (VEs) in psychology arise from the fact that movements in virtual space and accompanying perceptual changes are treated by the brain in much the same way as those in an equivalent real space [13]
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