The role of a virtual avatar in attention and memory tasks in Rett Syndrome

Abstract

Background Since patients with Rett syndrome (RTT) focus their attention mainly on the faces of people with whom they interact, in this study the role of a human-like avatar in enhancing cognitive processes was examined. More in depth, this study examined patients with RTT performing attention and memory tasks with and without a virtual avatar.Methods Thirty-six girls with RTT participated in the study. They were matched for mental age and randomly submitted to two conditions (with and without virtual avatar) with two tasks (over-selectivity and memory paradigms). Results Results indicated that the RTT group exposed to the virtual avatar condition, presented better attention and memory abilities than the matched RTT group without the avatar condition. Conclusions Results were discussed in light of the relationship between motivation, attention and memory RTT.