Virtual Reality Tasks
Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR, which includes augmented and mixed reality)- think of it as VR but without the fully 3D environment- offer an exciting future for cognitive, counseling, and clinical psychology. As such, I wanted to develop a hub for these tasks with some citations on their use.
VR offers us an exciting look into a person’s attention, reaction time, and spatial memory.
The code here is available in a Google Drive folder where the files are compressed as a zip file. This website contains the link, and a brief discussion for these tasks.
Furthermore, most VR applications are coded in C# using Unity, while these are made in Python. I feel it is necessary to state that these are purely exploratory and will likely not be of a high standard or comparable to the standard tasks. But this is to be expected with learning a new skill. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
VR Executables
3DMaze: This is your standard maze to measure long-term spatial memory. To measure this, you need to repeat the maze multiple times and record the speed it takes to complete. Compare the time between trials to see if they are improving; if so, their long-term spatial memory is efficient. If not, this signals an issue.
Wijnen, K., Genzel, L., & van der Meij, J. (2024). Rodent maze studies: from following simple rules to complex map learning. Brain structure & function, 229(4), 823–841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-024-02771-x
3D Driving Stop Task: A task that requires a person to ‘brake’ or react to an exclamation point that mimics a person driving in a city. The participants have one second to respond to the break. To increase the validity of this task, you can have a person use the brake pedal as input by configuring it so that a brake pedal press is interpreted as a keyboard button. The only article I found focused on TBI and not mental health diagnoses. This would be an interesting new area to research as a measurement of Executive Functioning and Reaction Time.
Schultheis, M. T., Simone, L. K., Roseman, E., Nead, R., Rebimbas, J., & Mourant, R. (2006). Stopping behavior in a VR driving simulator: a new clinical measure for the assessment of driving. Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference, 2006, 4921–4924. https://doi.org/10.1109/IEMBS.2006.260389
3D Morris Maze: This mimics the water maze that is used in animal experiments. Where rats are placed in a pool of water and swim around until they find the shallow part of the maze pool. Recreating this in real life is difficult for several reasons, including that it is wholly unethical to force a person to swim around at risk of drowning. This task was developed as an alternative that prioritized ease of use and ethics.
Morris, R.G.M. (1981). Spatial localization does not require the presence of local cues. Learn. Motiv. 12, 239–260.
Thornberry, C., Cimadevilla, J. M., & Commins, S. (2026). Virtual Morris Water Task: Procedures and Protocols for the Assessment of Spatial Navigation and Memory. Current protocols, 6(3), e70340. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpz1.70340
Mindfulness Activity: This is an activity that has the participant walk around in a simulated beach environment, as instructions for box breathing are presented on screen. To make it even more realistic, you can have the participant place their feet in sand to make it feel like they are on a beach.
Meshkat, S., Edalatkhah, M., Di Luciano, C., Martin, J., Kaur, G., Hee Lee, G., Park, H., Torres, A., Mazalek, A., Kapralos, B., Dubrowski, A., & Bhat, V. (2024). Virtual Reality and Stress Management: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 16(7), e64573. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.64573