The success of the educational task for visual-motor coordination among virtual reality: cognitive-personal factors

Abstract

Introduction. The study of individual factors affecting the effectiveness of learning in the middle of virtual reality is especially relevant in connection with the growing volume of the introduction of virtual simulators in the field of vocational education. The purpose of this study is to study the role of the cognitive-personal characteristics of students in the success of the educational task for visual and manous coordination among virtual reality. Materials and methods. The educational task in the environment of virtual reality was modeled according to the scenario of the game, in which the subject can shoot from virtual onions on moving targets, gaining points and levels depending on the accuracy and complexity of the actions performed. The success of the execution was evaluated by two indicators: the accuracy of the hits and the maximum level of complexity of the situations of the task. With the help of survey methods, 40 students of pedagogical undergraduate were evaluated by the level of spatial thinking, field dependence/field dependence, extraversion, goodwill, consciousness, neurotism, openness of experience, subjectively perceived cognitive load (internal, extraneous and relevant). Research results. The results have shown that the accuracy of the task is moderately positively related to the level of spatial thinking (r=0.37*) and relevant cognitive load (r=0.41*) and negatively with the internal cognitive load (r=–0.42*). In turn, the complexity of the task performed is moderately negatively connected with an extraneous cognitive load (r=–0.33*) and positively with relevant (r=0.32*). At the same time, the greatest contribution to the success of the task is made by an extraneous cognitive load (β=0.72 for accuracy and β=0.48 for complexity). The resulting model describes 49% of the accuracy dispersion and 39% of the dispersions of the complexity of the educational task. It also turned out that personality traits and cognitive style in terms of the parameters of field dependence/field dependence are not associated with the accuracy and complexity of the performance of the specified type of educational task in the VR environment. Conclusions. Data on a significant role of spatial cognitive load is presented useful not only as orientation for further psychological and pedagogical research, but also for the development of practical recommendations to the developers of educational design of virtual simulators for vocational education, as well as specialists in the field of differential pedagogy.