The future of executive function training

I have just finished reading The Power of Virtual Reality in the November issue and have enjoyed it very much. Specifically, the research about the use of VR for pain management is very intriguing, as is the research on physical rehabilitation. Your final subtitle was A solution in search of a problem?, to which I would like to offer my response.

Our current research focuses on the extent to which VR can be used to develop executive function (EF) skills in children. EF is linked to a range of outcomes for children, including school readiness, reading, maths, and well-being. Our early results show that VR can be used to deliver EF training, as evidenced by changes in cognitive flexibility. However, the question remains: why use this technology? EF training can be delivered through other media, but also without technology at all. What is it about this technology that makes it worth the investment?

We believe that the answer to this is in the qualitative experience of presence which VR brings. Results from our qualitative study indicate potential differences in how children and adults experience VR. In our sample, children were more likely to describe the experience of using VR in pragmatic terms, whereas adults were more likely to describe the experience in hedonic terms. 

In short, adults were concerned with how it made them feel; children wanted to see what they could do. But it is more than this. VR creates a change in the perceived environment, and crucially one in which the teacher is not present. This could potentially lead to a change in their psychosocial response: the student's actions become less about the teacher, and more about themselves. This may be particularly poignant for adolescents, for whom 'hot' EF (EF involved during emotionally balanced contexts) appears to peak during this time.

From this perspective, VR may enable young people to develop EF skills in a much 'cooler' environment. Interestingly, in the same study, one of the main concerns verbalised by teachers about VR was the potential for social isolation. Yet it may be that VR can enable people to develop EF skills at their own pace, and in their own space.

Susie Hindman 
University of Chichester