Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
A virtual reality take on the Corsi-Block Tapping Task: Exploring VR for spatial working memory assessment
Soma Zsebi1, Cecilia Sik-Lanyi2, Patrícia Szabó2
1Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Euronet Hungary Information Technology Ltd., 1047, Budapest, Fóti Street 56, Hungary.
Objective:
Numerous VR based cognitive tests have been created in the past years, yet many of them utilize newly developed software, setting back generalizability between classical, real life cognitive tests and VR based tests. To overcome this gap, implementing classical cognitive tests identically into VR might be a solution as it helps observing VR induced effects directly.
Method:
We created an identical replica of the classical Corsi Block-Tapping Task in VR (called VR Corsi) and compared participants' performance and heart rate between the real Corsi and the VR Corsi; as well examining the effects of cybersickness, previous VR experience, subjective enjoyment and immersion. Across two experiments, we tested 110 participants.
Results:
Experiment 1 concluded real life and VR based performance scores are similar but not fully identical. They can both be used for group level measurement but not for individual level. Heart rate increase is likely due to task related cognitive overload not the VR device. Experiment 2 concluded that age, cybersickness and emotions play partial roles in the differences, but a full model is yet to be obtained.
Conclusion:
More implementations of classical cognitive tests into VR are needed to directly test the altering effects of the VR device and environment excluding the task related differences. Especially the relationship between emotions, HR and cybersickness needs to be further addressed.
