Research article summary (published 30 Jul 2009):

Equivalence of real-world and virtual-reality route learning: a pilot study.

Full Abstract

There is good evidence for effective transfer of learning from virtual to real-world environments, and this holds true even for complex spatial tasks such as route learning. However, there is little research into the simple equivalence of an individual's performance across real and virtual environments, an important topic which could support the use of virtual reality as an assessment and research tool. This pilot study compared route-learning performance in a desktop virtual town with performance around a real-world route. Participants were "driven" around a route through a virtual town and around a different (but equally complex) route through a real-world suburb, then asked to direct the driver back around each of the routes from memory. They completed strategy checklists after learning each route. Results indicated good equivalence between the real and virtual environments, with comparable error rates and no differences in strategy preferences. This demonstrates that simple desktop virtual environments may be a useful tool for assessment of and research into route learning.

Author information

Author/s: Lloyd, Joanne (J); Persaud, Nathan V (NV); Powell, Theresa E (TE);

Affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society (Cyberpsychol Behav), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Aug; vol 12 (issue 4) : pp 423-7

Dates: Created 2009/07/27; Completed 2009/10/26;

PMID: 19514820, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/26/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Adult Computer Simulation Exploratory Behavior Female Humans Male Orientation

Orientation Pilot Projects Reference Values Retention (Psychology) Spatial Behavior Transfer (Psychology) User-Computer Interface Young Adult

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