Understanding the relationship between human interface devices and spatial abilities in virtual environments

A major issue with virtual reality (VR) studies in spatial cognition is the dissociation of spatial ability from the capacity to use human interface devices (HID) such as joystick/gamepad and mouse. Previous research has found large individual differences in spatial navigation in both real and virtual worlds (Wolbers & Hegarty, 2010; Ishikawa & Montello, 2006; Hegarty & Waller, 2002) However, these differences have not been systematically investigated with respect to the impact of the user interface and previous experience in VR. Here, we present a tool to systematically test participants' capacity to use a HID to interact with a VR Environment. The tool includes six tasks specifically designed to capture different facets of the interaction between the user and the virtual world. Four factors are considered including (a) the difference between egocentric and allocentric perspectives, (b) static and dynamic tasks, (c) perceptual and cognitive based navigation, and (d) distance and directional responses. The system is designed to be flexible and extensible such that tasks can be further parameterized and configured. For example, different types of tasks may be executed in a certain order to profile a participant. The system also includes a set of scoring functions to support researchers and help provide a standard for future research. The larger goal of the tool is to create a web-based platform for researchers to access these tests and use them in conjunction with their own studies.