A-111: Fully Immersive Virtual Reality for Cognitive Assessment in Spanish-Speaking Adults
Abstract
Objective: Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Assessments (FIVR) may enhance ecological validity and diagnostic accuracy in adults. However, traditional neuropsychological tests are often standardized in English-speaking populations, raising concerns about cultural and linguistic validity in Spanish-speaking individuals. This review synthesizes the literature on FIVR-based assessments in Spanish-speaking adults, focusing on detecting cognitive impairment, particularly mild cognitive impairment, and the influence of usability factors. Method/Data Selection: Articles were identified through APA PsycInfo, PubMed, and Google Scholar using the terms “Virtual Reality,” “VR,” “Spanish,” “assessment,” and “test.” Ten peer-reviewed articles published within the last 15 years were included based on relevance to adult populations and cognitive assessment. Results/Data Synthesis: FIVR assessment tools assessed attention, working memory, visual memory, and executive functions. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment demonstrated poorer performance across all domains and longer completion times. Prior gaming experience was associated with faster completion of FIVR and traditional tasks. Older adults showed slower performance, increased omission errors, and required additional instruction, suggesting effects of motor demands and technology familiarity. Cybersickness was also noted in older and less experienced users. Only the Nesplora platforms were developed, normed, and validated in Spanish-speaking samples. Conclusions: FIVR tools show promise in screening for cognitive decline and should be considered complementary to traditional neuropsychological assessment. However, performance may be influenced by technology familiarity and gaming experience. Limitations include limited range of cognitive domains, a limited examination of other Spanish-speaking populations, and uncertainty regarding whether performance reflects cognitive functioning versus technology familiarity. Future research should examine user-related factors and evaluate FIVR assessments as complements to traditional neuropsychological testing.