In a study, researchers found out that virtual reality can probably improve human memory. What is the explanation behind this?
In addition to the entertainment industry, virtual reality offers numerous opportunities for industry and also enormous educational potential. University of Maryland researchers has now found that we actually remember things better when they are presented in a VR environment rather than just on a computer screen.
Memorizing Faces in the Virtual Palace of Thought
For a study, the researchers used the principle of the Thought Palace – a mnemonics technique in which people use imaginary places as a reminder. 40 participants were divided into two groups: One was to look at information first via a VR headset and then on a desktop, the other did the exact opposite.
All participants visited two virtual places, a medieval village and the interior of a palace. One group looked around in VR via head movements and the other on the desktop with mouse and keyboard. Both places were peppered with photos of prominent faces, including Abraham Lincoln, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stephen Hawking and Shrek.
Participants in the study should assign prominent faces to specific locations. © John T. Consoli / University of Maryland.
The participants had five minutes to memorize the locations of the respective faces in the virtual world, then the picture turned black for two minutes. Finally, the places returned and the participants were to assign these pictures to their physical locations – with clear results.
Memory advantage for VR users
The research team found an 8.8 percent improvement in memory performance when using VR headsets. 40 percent of the participants in VR performed at least 10 percent better than the desktop version. According to their own statements, almost all participants preferred virtual reality as a learning platform.
According to Catherine Plaisant, a co-responsible of the study, this fits in perfectly with the latest research findings in cognitive psychology. These suggest that the creation and retrieval of mental constructs in the human brain strongly depends on aspects such as perception and movement in the physical environment. Plaisant concludes from this:
This raises the possibility that a[&] thought palace in an immersive virtual environment could improve learning and memory performance because the user has a better sense of position, movement, and acceleration.
Memorizing Faces in the Virtual Palace of Thought
For a study, the researchers used the principle of the Thought Palace – a mnemonics technique in which people use imaginary places as a reminder. 40 participants were divided into two groups: One was to look at information first via a VR headset and then on a desktop, the other did the exact opposite.
All participants visited two virtual places, a medieval village and the interior of a palace. One group looked around in VR via head movements and the other on the desktop with mouse and keyboard. Both places were peppered with photos of prominent faces, including Abraham Lincoln, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stephen Hawking and Shrek.
Participants in the study should assign prominent faces to specific locations. © John T. Consoli / University of Maryland
The participants had five minutes to memorize the locations of the respective faces in the virtual world, then the picture turned black for two minutes. Finally, the places returned and the participants were to assign these pictures to their physical locations – with clear results.
The research team found an 8.8 percent improvement in memory performance when using VR headsets. 40 percent of the participants in VR performed at least 10 percent better than the desktop version. According to their own statements, almost all participants preferred virtual reality as a learning platform.
According to Catherine Plaisant, a co-responsible of the study, this fits in perfectly with the latest research findings in cognitive psychology. These suggest that the creation and retrieval of mental constructs in the human brain strongly depends on aspects such as perception and movement in the physical environment. Plaisant concludes from this:
This raises the possibility that a[&] thought palace in an immersive virtual environment could improve learning and memory performance because the user has a better sense of position, movement, and acceleration.
With such potential, it comes as no surprise that more and more companies are turning to virtual reality: At the latest VivaTech 2018 alone, various enterprise applications for HTC Vive Pro were presented, which use immersive technology to train the workforce.
What do you think of studies like this? Have you already noticed an increased learning effect in Virtual Reality? Discuss with us in the comments!