No abstract

Gender differences in cognitive and behavioral performance have been reported throughout the psychological literature. Consequently, gender differences should be considered and controlled for when cognitive research is conducted in virtual environments (VEs). These variables may include gender-related differences in cognitive performance, susceptibility for cybersickness, and the impact of sex hormones on cognition. Such issues are addressed in the context of a recent VE study of the visuospatial ability referred to as mental rotation. The Mental Rotation Test (MRT), a paper and pencil measure, has been shown to produce one of the largest gender differences in the cognitive literature. The outcomes of the MRT are in favor of males. However, results reported from a Virtual Reality Spatial Rotation (VRSR) test demonstrate no gender differences when subjects were able to manually manipulate the stimuli in a VE. Further analysis uncovers gender differences in the patterns of associations between verbal and spatial tasks and performance on VRSR. Results are discussed in terms of dimensionality factors and hemispheric lateralization.

Previous work has suggested that DHEA supplementation may have adverse cognitive effects in elderly women. This article analyzed 24-h measurements of DHEA, DHEAS, and cortisol to determine if cognitive decrease with treatment is mediated by DHEA's impact on endogenous cortisol. It was found that DHEA administration increased cortisol at several hours during the day. In the treatment group, cortisol was positively associated with cognition at study completion. An increase in negative associations between DHEA(S) levels and cognition was found at completion. Increased cortisol does not explain the cognitive deficits associated with DHEA, suggesting a direct negative effect of exogenous DHEA on cognition.

The Virtual Environments Laboratory at the University of Southern California (USC) has initiated a research program aimed at developing virtual reality (VR) technology applications for the study, assessment, and rehabilitation of cognitive processes. This technology is seen to offer many advantages for these aims. The status of two ongoing VR projects will be discussed in this article. The projects outlined are being conducted via cooperative efforts with both the Integrated Media Systems Center and the Information Sciences Institute at USC. These departments consist of a multidisciplinary group of scientists that represents engineering, computer science, communications, information technology, education, and psychology. This mix of expertise has served to facilitate the development of these projects via an integrated approach to VR application development. The first project involves the development of a series of ImmersaDesk-delivered visuospatial tests and training tools that leverage the interactive, dynamic, and 3D assets that are available with current VR technology. The second project involves a head mounted display (HMD) VR system for the study, assessment, and possible rehabilitation of attention disorders. It is believed that these projects target cognitive variables that are well matched to the current strengths and limitations that exist with presently available VR technology.

No abstract