INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Researchers at the University of Maryland have found that people remember information better if it is presented in VR vs
on a two dimensional personal computer
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at UMD.The study was quite complex and looked at recall in forty subjects who were
comfortable with computers and VR
Next, the researchers showed the participants the faces using the memory palace format with two imaginary locations: an interior room of an
ornate palace and an external view of a medieval town
Both of the study groups navigated each memory palace for five minutes
Desktop participants used a mouse to change their viewpoint, while VR users turned their heads from side to side and looked up and
down.Next, Krokos asked the users to memorize the location of each of the faces shown
Stephen Hawking was a few steps down, followed by Shrek
on the left side of a building, with Mickey Mouse and Batman placed at varying heights on nearby structures.Then, the scene went blank, and
after a two-minute break, each memory palace reappeared with numbered boxes where the faces had been
The research participants were then asked to recall which face had been in each location where a number was now displayed.The key, say the
better, a fascinating twist on the traditional role of VR in education
This was reflected in the research results: 40 percent of the participants scored at least 10 percent higher in recall ability using VR over
said researcher Catherine Plaisant.
