The effects of auditory directional cues on task performance and cognitive load in virtual reality for middle-aged adults.

As immersive technologies become increasingly prevalent in healthcare and cognitive training, ensuring their accessibility for aging populations has emerged as a critical design priority. This study investigates the impact of auditory directional cues on spatial navigation performance and perceived...

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Publicado en:Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies Vol. 45; pp. 803 - 812
Autores principales: Yeh, PoChan, Wu, YiTing
Formato: research randomized controlled trial Journal Article
Publicado: Churchill Livingstone, Inc. Dec2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec2025
      vid: 45
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      pub: Churchill Livingstone, Inc.
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        189518971
        10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.033
        189518971
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        atl: The effects of auditory directional cues on task performance and cognitive load in virtual reality for middle-aged adults.
      aug:
        au:
          Yeh, PoChan
          Wu, YiTing
        affil: National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan
      sug:
        subj:
          Auditory Perception
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Cognition
          Virtual Reality
          Workload
          Treatment Outcomes
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Randomized Controlled Trials
          Random Assignment
          Comparative Studies
          Scales
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Male
          Female
      ab: As immersive technologies become increasingly prevalent in healthcare and cognitive training, ensuring their accessibility for aging populations has emerged as a critical design priority. This study investigates the impact of auditory directional cues on spatial navigation performance and perceived task workload among middle-aged adults within a virtual reality (VR) maze environment. A total of 64 participants, aged 45 to 65, were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (with auditory cues) or a control group (without auditory cues). Results indicated that participants receiving auditory support completed tasks significantly faster and reported lower subjective cognitive workload, as measured by the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Although task completion rates and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores did not reach statistical significance, both showed favorable trends for the auditory group. Furthermore, gender-based analyses revealed that auditory guidance may help reduce performance disparities, particularly benefiting individuals with lower baseline spatial confidence. Building on these findings, the study offers not only theoretical insights into multisensory design but also practical implications for the development of age-inclusive VR systems in healthcare and rehabilitation. Design recommendations include the integration of directional audio to support spatial decision-making, the implementation of multimodal feedback to reduce cognitive demand, and the development of personalization features to foster greater inclusivity and long-term user engagement in immersive therapeutic environments.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        randomized controlled trial
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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