Assessing Cognitive Functions with VR-Based Serious Games that Reproduce Daily Life: Pilot Testing for Normative Values

Acquired brain impairments are responsible for cognitive dysfunctions that affect daily life activities. Promoting recovery via exercises stimulating cognitive functions through ecologically valid interactive media such as virtual reality (VR) is a fast-emerging option. However, assessment still relies largely on non-ecological measures such as pencil-and-paper protocols. We propose that an effective alternative to those protocols is to assess patients while they execute exercises that mimic real-life tasks in a VR scenario (e.g. shopping, dressing, or preparing breakfast). For this, normative data is required. We describe a VR scenario-based assessment tool and report a study to define normative (non-clinical sample) performance levels in daily-life exercises with that tool. We discuss the results on task performance and effects of prior experience with video-games.

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