New Frontiers for Cognitive Assessment: An Exploratory Study of the Potentiality of 360° Technologies for Memory Evaluation

Abstract

One of the most recent trends in technology field is the 360° technology. In order to investigate its potentiality for the evaluation of memory function, we compared participants' performance in two memory tasks between an encoding delivered through an immersive 360° environment and a non-immersive 360° one. Specifically, we investigated if the immersive 360° environment would facilitate memory encoding in comparison to the non-immersive 360° one. Forty-two participants visualized two 360° pictures of a bedroom containing specific items and items shared by the two rooms, either in the "non-immersive → immersive" order or in the "immersive → non-immersive" one. Results showed that the immersive set-up was able to strengthen the mnestic trace only when participants performed the tasks in the "non-immersive → immersive" order. A possible explanation is a potential familiarity with the technologies used to explore the 360° environments. Overall, these results only partially supported the effectiveness of immersive 360° technology in facilitating episodic memory encoding; future studies should further explore the potentiality of this innovative technology.