scholarly journals The impact of multisensory integration and perceptual load in virtual reality settings on performance, workload and presence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Marucci ◽  
Gianluca Di Flumeri ◽  
Gianluca Borghini ◽  
Nicolina Sciaraffa ◽  
Michele Scandola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Perceptual Load ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
High Load ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Skin Response ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index ◽  
The Impact

AbstractReal-world experience is typically multimodal. Evidence indicates that the facilitation in the detection of multisensory stimuli is modulated by the perceptual load, the amount of information involved in the processing of the stimuli. Here, we used a realistic virtual reality environment while concomitantly acquiring Electroencephalography (EEG) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) to investigate how multisensory signals impact target detection in two conditions, high and low perceptual load. Different multimodal stimuli (auditory and vibrotactile) were presented, alone or in combination with the visual target. Results showed that only in the high load condition, multisensory stimuli significantly improve performance, compared to visual stimulation alone. Multisensory stimulation also decreases the EEG-based workload. Instead, the perceived workload, according to the “NASA Task Load Index” questionnaire, was reduced only by the trimodal condition (i.e., visual, auditory, tactile). This trimodal stimulation was more effective in enhancing the sense of presence, that is the feeling of being in the virtual environment, compared to the bimodal or unimodal stimulation. Also, we show that in the high load task, the GSR components are higher compared to the low load condition. Finally, the multimodal stimulation (Visual-Audio-Tactile—VAT and Visual-Audio—VA) induced a significant decrease in latency, and a significant increase in the amplitude of the P300 potentials with respect to the unimodal (visual) and visual and tactile bimodal stimulation, suggesting a faster and more effective processing and detection of stimuli if auditory stimulation is included. Overall, these findings provide insights into the relationship between multisensory integration and human behavior and cognition.

scholarly journals The Michelangelo Effect: Art Improves the Performance in a Virtual Reality Task Developed for Upper Limb Neurorehabilitation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Iosa ◽  
Merve Aydin ◽  
Carolina Candelise ◽  
Natascia Coda ◽  
Giovanni Morone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Mozart Effect ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Creative Art ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index

The vision of an art masterpiece is associated with brain arousal by neural processes occurring quite spontaneously in the viewer. This aesthetic experience may even elicit a response in the motor areas of the observers. In the neurorehabilitation of patients with stroke, art observation has been used for reducing psychological disorders, and creative art therapy for enhancing physical functions and cognitive abilities. Here, we developed a virtual reality task which allows patients, by moving their hand on a virtual canvas, to have the illusion of painting some art masterpieces, such as The Creation of Adam of Michelangelo or The birth of Venus of Botticelli. Twenty healthy subjects (experiment 1) and four patients with stroke (experiment 2) performed this task and a control one in which they simply colored the virtual canvas. Results from User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire and the NASA Task Load Index highlighted an appropriate level of usability. Moreover, despite the motor task was the same for art and control stimuli, the art condition was performed by healthy subjects with shorter trajectories (p = 0.001) and with a lower perception of physical demand (p = 0.049). In experiment 2, only the patients treated with artistic stimuli showed a reduction in the erroneous movements performed orthogonally to the canvas (p < 0.05). This finding reminds the so-called Mozart effect that improves the performance of subjects when they listen to classic music. Thus, we called this improvement in the performance when interacting with an artistic stimulus as Michelangelo effect.

scholarly journals When Less Is More: Investigating Factors Influencing the Distraction Effect of Virtual Reality From Pain

2022 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Barcatta ◽  
Elisabeth Holl ◽  
Layla Battistutta ◽  
Marian van der Meulen ◽  
Katharina M. Rischer
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
High Load ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Distraction Effect ◽  
Pain Thresholds ◽  
High Load Condition ◽  
The Difference

Virtual reality (VR) is a powerful method of redirecting attention away from pain. Yet, little is known about which factors modulate the size of this distraction effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cognitive load and inter-individual differences in the cognitive and affective domain on heat pain thresholds during a VR game. Ninety healthy participants (mean age ± SD: 23.46 ± 3.28; 50% identified as male and 50% as female) played a low and high load version of a VR game while heat pain thresholds and heart rate were recorded. The effects of cognitive load were assessed by computing the difference in pain thresholds between the high and low load condition for each participant. In addition, we computed the difference in heart rate variability (HRV) measures between both conditions to explore whether these would be correlated with the difference in heat pain thresholds. Prior to the VR session, participants completed questionnaires about their emotional distress, pain-related cognitions, and different executive functioning tasks. Contrary to our expectations, not all participants benefitted from a higher load in terms of distraction from pain. Logistic regression analysis revealed that participants who reported more emotional distress were more likely to exhibit higher pain thresholds in the low relative to the high load condition. Accordingly, these participants tended to show marginally higher HRV in the low compared to the high load condition. Our study demonstrates that the potential benefits of an increased cognitive load in VR on pain sensitivity depends on individual differences in affective state.

scholarly journals “What Smell?” Temporarily Loading Visual Attention Induces a Prolonged Loss of Olfactory Awareness

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1642-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Forster ◽  
Charles Spence
Keyword(s):  
Search Task ◽  
Perceptual Load ◽  
Visual Search Task ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Inattentional Blindness ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Olfactory Stimuli ◽  
Human Sense

The human sense of smell is highly sensitive, often conveying important biological signals. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests that we commonly fail to notice suprathreshold environmental olfactory stimuli. The determinants of olfactory awareness are, as yet, unknown. Here, we adapted the inattentional-blindness paradigm to test whether olfactory awareness is dependent on attention. Across three experiments, participants performed a visual search task with either a high or low perceptual load (a well-established attentional manipulation) while exposed to an ambient coffee aroma. Consistent with our hypothesis, results showed that task load modulated olfactory awareness: 42.5% fewer participants in the high- than in the low-load condition reported noticing the coffee aroma. Our final experiment demonstrates that because of unique characteristics of olfactory habituation, the consequences of inattentional anosmia can persist even once attention becomes available. These findings establish the phenomenon of inattentional anosmia and have applied implications for predicting when people may miss potentially important olfactory information.

scholarly journals An Adaptable Prosthetic Wrist Reduces Subjective Workload

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel R. Olsen ◽  
Jacob A. George ◽  
Mark R. Brinton ◽  
Michael D. Paskett ◽  
David T. Kluger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Prosthetic Hands ◽  
Subjective Workload ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Flexion Extension ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMany presently available prostheses lack a functional wrist. To fill this niche and to better understand the impact a wrist has in prosthetic functionality, we designed a low-cost, adaptable, 3D-printable prosthetic wrist that can be adapted to various prosthetic hands and sockets. The wrist utilizes inexpensive but powerful servo motors to provide simultaneous and proportional control of two degrees of freedom: pronation/supination and flexion/extension or radial/ulnar deviation. Participants used both our wrist and a commercially available wrist (DEKA “LUKE” Arm) to complete a modified version of the clothespin relocation task with and without the wrists enabled. Through use of the NASA Task Load Index we found that both wrists significantly reduced the subjective workload associated with clothespin relocation task (p < 0.05). However, we found no significant difference in task completion speed, presumably due to compensation strategies. This inexpensive and adaptable prosthetic wrist can be used by amputees to reduce task workload, or by researchers to further explore the importance of wrist function.

Context Effects in Subjective Mental Workload Ratings

1998 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert A. Colle ◽  
Gary B. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Context Effect ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Performance Context ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Range

The impact of performance context on subjective mental workload ratings was assessed with the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) and the NASA Task Load Index (TLX). In Experiment 1, a strong context effect was demonstrated. A low range of task difficulty produced considerably higher ratings on a common set of difficulty levels than did a high range of task difficulty. In Experiment 2, increasing the participants′ range of experiences during practice eliminated the context effect. We recommend that methods for standardizing context, such as providing experience with the complete difficulty range, be developed for subjective mental workload evaluations. Actual or potential applications of this research include providing methodologies for controlling context effects in practical assessments of mental workload to increase the validity of subjective measures.

scholarly journals WAUC: A Multi-Modal Database for Mental Workload Assessment Under Physical Activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabela Albuquerque ◽  
Abhishek Tiwari ◽  
Mark Parent ◽  
Raymundo Cassani ◽  
Jean-François Gagnon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Real World ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Skin Response ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index ◽  
Blood Volume Pulse

Assessment of mental workload is crucial for applications that require sustained attention and where conditions such as mental fatigue and drowsiness must be avoided. Previous work that attempted to devise objective methods to model mental workload were mainly based on neurological or physiological data collected when the participants performed tasks that did not involve physical activity. While such models may be useful for scenarios that involve static operators, they may not apply in real-world situations where operators are performing tasks under varying levels of physical activity, such as those faced by first responders, firefighters, and police officers. Here, we describe WAUC, a multimodal database of mental Workload Assessment Under physical aCtivity. The study involved 48 participants who performed the NASA Revised Multi-Attribute Task Battery II under three different activity level conditions. Physical activity was manipulated by changing the speed of a stationary bike or a treadmill. During data collection, six neural and physiological modalities were recorded, namely: electroencephalography, electrocardiography, breathing rate, skin temperature, galvanic skin response, and blood volume pulse, in addition to 3-axis accelerometry. Moreover, participants were asked to answer the NASA Task Load Index questionnaire after each experimental section, as well as rate their physical fatigue level on the Borg fatigue scale. In order to bring our experimental setup closer to real-world situations, all signals were monitored using wearable, off-the-shelf devices. In this paper, we describe the adopted experimental protocol, as well as validate the subjective, neural, and physiological data collected. The WAUC database, including the raw data and features, subjective ratings, and scripts to reproduce the experiments reported herein will be made available at: http://musaelab.ca/resources/.

scholarly journals Effects of Transient Loss of Vision on Head and Eye Movements during Visual Search in a Virtual Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Erwan David ◽  
Julia Beitner ◽  
Melissa Le-Hoa Võ
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Eye Movements ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Peripheral Vision ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
The Impact

Central and peripheral fields of view extract information of different quality and serve different roles during visual tasks. Past research has studied this dichotomy on-screen in conditions remote from natural situations where the scene would be omnidirectional and the entire field of view could be of use. In this study, we had participants looking for objects in simulated everyday rooms in virtual reality. By implementing a gaze-contingent protocol we masked central or peripheral vision (masks of 6 deg. of radius) during trials. We analyzed the impact of vision loss on visuo-motor variables related to fixation (duration) and saccades (amplitude and relative directions). An important novelty is that we segregated eye, head and the general gaze movements in our analyses. Additionally, we studied these measures after separating trials into two search phases (scanning and verification). Our results generally replicate past on-screen literature and teach about the role of eye and head movements. We showed that the scanning phase is dominated by short fixations and long saccades to explore, and the verification phase by long fixations and short saccades to analyze. One finding indicates that eye movements are strongly driven by visual stimulation, while head movements serve a higher behavioral goal of exploring omnidirectional scenes. Moreover, losing central vision has a smaller impact than reported on-screen, hinting at the importance of peripheral scene processing for visual search with an extended field of view. Our findings provide more information concerning how knowledge gathered on-screen may transfer to more natural conditions, and attest to the experimental usefulness of eye tracking in virtual reality.

scholarly journals Factors associated with virtual reality sickness in head-mounted displays: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Saredakis ◽  
Ancret Szpak ◽  
Brandon Birckhead ◽  
Hannah AD Keage ◽  
Albert Rizzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
The Impact

The use of head-mounted displays (HMD) for virtual reality (VR) application-based purposes including therapy, rehabilitation, and training is increasing. Despite advancements in VR technologies, many users still experience sickness symptoms. VR sickness may be influenced by technological differences within HMDs such as resolution and refresh rate, however VR content also plays a significant role. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the literature on HMD’s that report Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) scores to determine the impact of content. User factors associated with VR sickness were also examined. A systematic search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Fifty-five articles met inclusion criteria, representing 3,016 participants (mean age range 19.5-80; 41% female). Findings show gaming content recorded the highest total SSQ mean 34.26 (95%CI 29.57-38.95). VR sickness profiles were also influenced by visual stimulation, locomotion and exposure times. Older samples (mean age ≥35 years) scored significantly lower total SSQ means than younger samples, however these findings are based on a small evidence base as a limited number of studies included older users. No sex differences were found. Across all types of content, the pooled total SSQ mean was relatively high 28.00 (95%CI 24.66-31.35) compared with recommended SSQ cut-off scores. These findings are of relevance for informing future research and the application of VR in different contexts.

scholarly journals The Effect of Task Complexity on Time Estimation in the Virtual Reality Environment: An EEG Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9779
Author(s):  
Jiaxin Li ◽  
Ji-Eun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Virtual Reality Environment ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Nasa Task Load Index ◽  
Puzzle Task

This paper investigated the effect of task complexity on time estimation in the virtual reality environment (VRE) using behavioral, subjective, and physiological measurements. Virtual reality (VR) is not a perfect copy of the real world, and individuals perceive time duration differently in the VRE than they do in reality. Though many researchers have found a connection between task complexity and time estimation under non-VR conditions, the influence of task complexity on time estimation in the VRE is yet unknown. In this study, twenty-nine participants performed a VR jigsaw puzzle task at two levels of task complexity. We observed that as task complexity increased, participants showed larger time estimation errors, reduced relative beta-band power at Fz and Pz, and higher NASA-Task Load Index scores. Our findings indicate the importance of controlling task complexity in the VRE and demonstrate the potential of using electroencephalography (EEG) as real-time indicators of complexity level.

Attention to local form information can prevent access to semantic information

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 609-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice E. Murray ◽  
Craig Jones
Keyword(s):  
Line Segment ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Semantic Information ◽  
Perceptual Load ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
High Load ◽  
Semantic Relations ◽  
Local Form ◽  
Semantic Level ◽  
Form Information

Humphreys and Boucart (1997) have shown that when processing of local form is required for response, surrounding global information is automatically processed to a semantic level. The generality of this effect was investigated in two experiments in which the perceptual load of the relevant local form information was manipulated, as was uncertainty about perceptual load. Participants attended to a single line segment inside a picture of an animal or a vehicle and then decided which of two pictures in the target/distractor display that followed contained a line segment that matched the first in orientation. The perceptual load of the relevant local form information was either low (the matching line segment was one of the solitary line segments presented in the centre of the target and distractor pictures), or high (the matching line segment was part of one of the solitary letters presented in the centre of the target and distractor pictures). The semantic relations among the pictures were manipulated, and when perceptual load remained constant across trials, semantic relations affected performance in the low-load but not in the high-load condition. When perceptual load varied from trial to trial, there was no evidence of any semantic processing on either low- or high-load trials. The results suggest that in form-matching tasks, attentional priority can be given to local information, thus preventing access to semantic information derived from global shape. They further suggest that the distribution of attention is not dictated entirely by the actual perceptual demands of the relevant stimulus, indicating an important role for top-down processing.

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