Learning in the navigational space: Age differences in a short-term memory for objects task

How people with brain injury run and evaluate a SLAM-based smartphone augmented reality application to assess object-location memory

Augmented reality (AR) technology allows virtual objects to be superimposed on the real-world environment, offering significant potential for improving cognitive assessments and rehabilitation processes in the field of visuospatial learning. This study examines how patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) evaluate the functions and usability of a SLAM-based smartphone AR app to assess object-location skills. Ten ABI patients performed a task for the spatial recall of four objects using an AR app. The data collected from 10 healthy participants provided reference values for the best performance. Their perceptions of the AR app/technology and its usability were investigated. The results indicate lower effectiveness in solving the task in the patient group, as the time they needed to complete it was related to their level of impairment. The patients showed lower, yet positive, scores in factors related to app usability and acceptance (e.g., mental effort and satisfaction, respectively). There were more patients reported on entertainment as a positive aspect of the app. Patients' perceived enjoyment was related to concentration and calm, whereas usability was associated with perceived competence, expertise, and a lower level of physical effort. For patients, the sensory aspects of the objects were related to their presence, while for healthy participants, they were related to enjoyment and required effort. The results show that AR seems to be a promising tool to assess spatial orientation in the target patient population.

The Utilization of Augmented Reality Technology for Sustainable Skill Development for People with Special Needs: A Systematic Literature Review

New technologies such as Augmented Reality can be used to enhance the possibility of obtaining new experiences to assist people with special needs. However, in the literature, there are not enough studies conducted on the use of Augmented Reality as an assistive technology, especially for people with special needs. The purpose of this study is to highlight the use of Augmented Reality technology on people with special needs for skill development. This systematic literature review includes recent and high-quality articles from chosen prestige databases between the years 2010 and 2020. The selected studies which fitted the eligibility selection criteria have been analyzed and synthesized. The study findings reveal the importance of using AR technology to assist individuals with special needs in their skill development process, to help them become more independent. We hope this study will enlighten researchers and the developers of AR tools. It has been recommended that more studies be done on the sustainable use of AR as an assistive technology, particularly for children with special needs, to make their life easier.

SLAM-based augmented reality for the assessment of short-term spatial memory. A comparative study of visual versus tactile stimuli

The assessment of human spatial short-term memory has mainly been performed using visual stimuli and less frequently using auditory stimuli. This paper presents a framework for the development of SLAM-based Augmented Reality applications for the assessment of spatial memory. An AR mobile application was developed for this type of assessment involving visual and tactile stimuli by using our framework. The task to be carried out with the AR application is divided into two phases: 1) a learning phase, in which participants physically walk around a room and have to remember the location of simple geometrical shapes; and 2) an evaluation phase, in which the participants are asked to recall the location of the shapes. A study for comparing the performance outcomes using visual and tactile stimuli was carried out. Fifty-three participants performed the task using the two conditions (Tactile vs Visual), but with more than two months of difference (within-subject design). The number of shapes placed correctly was similar for both conditions. However, the group that used the tactile stimulus spent significantly more time completing the task and required significantly more attempts. The performance outcomes were independent of gender. Some significant correlations among variables related to the performance outcomes and other tests were found. The following significant correlations among variables related to the performance outcomes using visual stimuli and the participants’ subjective variables were also found: 1) the greater the number of correctly placed shapes, the greater the perceived competence; 2) the more attempts required, the less the perceived competence. We also found that perceived enjoyment was higher when a higher sense of presence was induced. Our results suggest that tactile stimuli are valid stimuli to exploit for the assessment of the ability to memorize spatial-tactile associations, but that the ability to memorize spatial-visual associations is dominant. Our results also show that gender does not affect these types of memory tasks.

Memory for Object Location in Augmented Reality: The Role of Gender and the Relationship Among Spatial and Anxiety Outcomes

The potential of augmented reality (AR) technology for the study of spatial memory and orientation is a new research field. AR defines systems that attempt to enhance the user’s experience with the physical world. In our app, we enhance the sense of sight by adding interactive 3D elements to the real environment. Our app can be used in any real environment so that the experimental conditions during the tasks and the way in which an individual navigates are similar to those used in real life. With AR, the experimenter has a high level of control of the task and can store the participant’s responses accurately. The classical factors that influence an individual’s performance on virtual spatial tasks are gender and cognitive factors. The influence of emotional factors on spatial performance has been studied more recently. Since AR tasks for the study of spatial memory and spatial orientation are new developments, little is known about the factors that are related to performance on tasks of this type. In our study, we tested 46 young adults (26 women) in an AR object-location task that was performed in a building. The participants had to memorize the position of eight virtual objects while they were walking through the environment. We also assessed the participants’ performance on an object-recall task, a map-pointing task, and a paper-and-pencil spatial orientation task. The self-reported importance of different spatial strategies for wayfinding and the levels of trait anxiety and wayfinding anxiety were also evaluated. Our findings indicate that men performed better on the spatial paper-and-pencil test and spent more time completing the learning phase of the AR task. The spatial memory for the location of the objects in AR and on the map correlated positively. Anxiety was related to individual differences in the self-reported use of a spatial orientation strategy, but the association among them was weak. Trait anxiety was positively related to the time employed by the participants during the learning phase of the AR task, whereas wayfinding anxiety correlated negatively with the preference for an orientation strategy. Our results highlight the importance of anxiety in spatial orientation.

A Virtual Object-Location Task for Children: Gender and Videogame Experience Influence Navigation; Age Impacts Memory and Completion Time

The use of virtual reality-based tasks for studying memory has increased considerably. Most of the studies that have looked at child population factors that influence performance on such tasks have been focused on cognitive variables. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of non-cognitive skills. In the present paper, we tested 52 typically-developing children aged 5–12 years in a virtual object-location task. The task assessed their spatial short-term memory for the location of three objects in a virtual city. The virtual task environment was presented using a 3D application consisting of a 120″ stereoscopic screen and a gamepad interface. Measures of learning and displacement indicators in the virtual environment, 3D perception, satisfaction, and usability were obtained. We assessed the children’s videogame experience, their visuospatial span, their ability to build blocks, and emotional and behavioral outcomes. The results indicate that learning improved with age. Significant effects on the speed of navigation were found favoring boys and those more experienced with videogames. Visuospatial skills correlated mainly with ability to recall object positions, but the correlation was weak. Longer paths were related with higher scores of withdrawal behavior, attention problems, and a lower visuospatial span. Aggressiveness and experience with the device used for interaction were related with faster navigation. However, the correlations indicated only weak associations among these variables.