VR tech may impact memory development
With an increasing number of tools available to educators, experts are seeking to understand the effects of technology on learning outcomes.
A 2019 study from the Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan, published in Frontiers in Psychology, has found that the use of virtual technology tools may impede the ability to form visual memories.
The study aimed to understand the differences between active and passive VR. Active VR utilises a headset incorporating a display that responds and changes according to movement of the wearer. The display on a passive VR headset offers an immovable view, regardless of head movements.
Forty subjects took part in the study, evenly split between passive and active viewing conditions. All participants watched a video set in a museum where they were shown a series of paintings by two well-known artists. They were subjected to memory tests immediately after watching the film and again two weeks later.
The memory tests of both groups were similar immediately after the viewing, but markedly different once two weeks had passed, with the active group’s retention notably more diminished than the passive viewing group’s.
The research team said this implies a link between active VR viewing and degradation in the formation of strong visual memories. They hypothesise multiple explanations including the fact that active viewers had competing visual interests — they could look around at other points in the room, whereas passive viewers could not. They also suggest that the cognitive load associated with active VR may effectively inhibit memory formation.
Researchers intend to extend the study and investigate how the cognitive load from VR can inhibit visual memory and whether active VR technology could be effectively applied to other fields. They suggest potential fields include education, to enhance learning outcomes in instances that require powerful and realistic impressions such as depth perception.
You can read the full study here.
How breakfast influences student achievement
The fact that breakfast is important for childhood development is well known — but a new...
Student dies on school trip, charges laid
A Melbourne school and an adventure travel company have been charged after a student died...
Partnership aims to overcome educational inequality
The EduTECH festival has announced its support for the Smith Family, in an effort to champion...
