Ricerc@Sapienza

Until now, Virtual Reality has become part of countless scientific works, always as a tool used to induce sense of presence and embodiment in reproduced real-world experiences for the investigation of human behaviour. However, so far, many few studies have analyzed the Virtual Reality itself and its effects on the human cognition. Since learning is defined as the last step in a long series of cognitive processes, from perception to memorization, it was thought to start exploring, through this project, the effects that Virtual Reality has on learning. In particular, the working hypothesis is that, coherently with the multisensoriality and the higher emotional engagement induced by the Virtual Reality, the subject should learn more and easier compared to traditional modalities, like reading or watching an educational video. Furthermore, the project aims to measure quantitatively these positive effects on learning taking advantages of the showing objectivity, sensitivity and unobtrusiveness of neurophysiological signals. For this reason, the brain activity of subjects during both a traditional and a virtual learning experience will be acquired by means of electroencephalography (EEG). The expected outcomes are therefore doubly relevant. The first phase will frame different immersive environments in the cognitive neuroscience context. The second phase will employ a machine learning approach to provide a Learning Index based on the EEG features more informative of the actual learning of the subjects themselves. The impact of the project is considerable, both for basic and for educational and clinical research. In fact, it would provide insights into the using of Virtual Reality technology in a conscious manner of which the effects on cognitive processes may be, and finally it would pave the way for the use of these tools in the educational and clinical field.