The Virtual Environment Performance Assessment Battery (VEPAB) is a set of tasks developed to support research on training applications of virtual environment (VE) technology. VEPAB measures human performance on vision, locomotion, tracking, object manipulation, and reaction time tasks performed in three-dimensional, interactive VEs. It can be used to provide a general orientation for interacting in VEs and to determine both entry level performance and skill acquisition of users. In addition, VEPAB allows comparison of task performance, side effects and aftereffects, and subjective reactions across different VE systems. By providing benchmarks of human performance, VEPAB can promote continuity in training research involving different technologies, separate research facilities, and dissimilar subject populations. This paper describes the development of VEPAB and summarizes the results of two experiments, one to test the sensitivity of the tasks to differences between input control devices and the other to examine practice effects.

This paper describes an experiment to evaluate a procedure for measuring distance perception in immersive VEs. Forty-eight subjects viewed a VE with a Head Mounted Display (HMD), a Binocular Omni-Oriented Monitor (BOOM), or a computer monitor. Subjects estimated the distance to a figure of known height that was initially 40 ft away. As the figure moved forward, subjects indicated when the figure was perceived to be 30, 20, 10, 5, and 2.5 ft away. A separate group of 36 subjects performed the task in a real-world setting roughly comparable to the VE. VE distance estimation was highly variable across subjects. For distance perception involving a moving figure, in the VE conditions most subjects called out before the figure had closed to the specified distances. Distance estimation was least accurate with the monitor. In the real world, most subjects called out after the figure had closed to or passed the specified distances. Ways to improve the procedure are discussed.

The framework presented in this article can help guide the systematic development of training systems incorporating DBT as well as provide a direction for future research.