Abstract

FAVA, Mariana Caramore et al. Motor learning in visual impaired individuals during a coincident timing task in a non-immersive virtual reality. J. Hum. Growth Dev. [online]. 2022, vol.32, n.1, pp. 145-154. ISSN 0104-1282.  http://dx.doi.org/10.36311/jhgd.v32.12675.

INTRODUCTION: virtual reality (VR) is used nowadays as an assessment and intervention tool in rehabilitation. One of the skills that can be assessed through VR is coincident timing (perceptual-motor ability to execute a motor response in synchrony with an external stimulus). Visually impaired (VI) people require this synchronization of movements with external objects in their daily and leisure activitiesOBJECTIVE: to investigate the performance of VI individuals in a VR coincident timing taskMETHODS: sixty individuals over 18 years of age participated in this study: 20 with VI, 20 without VI but blindfolded and 20 individuals without VI that used visual feedback (without blindfold). A semi-structured interview and a virtual coincident timing task were usedRESULTS: although VI individuals started the task with the worst performance (Absolute error = VI group 945ms x blindfolded group 591ms x without blindfold group, 557ms), they improved performance throughout the task, as did the other groups, reducing the number of errors (mean absolute error= 698ms to 408ms). Furthermore, all groups presented increased task speed (mean variable error= last acquisition block 408ms x immediate transfer 227ms x late transfer 247msCONCLUSION: individuals with VI had difficulties at the beginning of the proposed task, but with practice they were able to adapt to the task with an improved of performance (observed by the decrease in error time). The auditory feedback was sufficient to allow adaptation to the task which improved participant performance with VI

Keywords : learning; visual disability; virtual reality.

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