Adaptive virtual environments for neuropsychological assessment in serious games

Abstract

While advances in military relevant simulations provide potential for increasing assessment of Soldier readiness to Return-to-Duty (e.g., following a blast injury), little has been done to develop these simulations into adaptive virtual environments (AVE) for improved neurocognitive and psychophysiological assessment. Adaptive assessments offer the potential for dynamically adapting the difficulty level specific to the patient's knowledge or ability. We present an iteration of the Virtual Reality for Cognitive Performance and Adaptive Treatment (VRCPAT) that proffers a framework for adapting scenarios in a game engine based upon the user's neurocognitive (task performance) and psychophysiological (e.g., heart rate, skin response, heart rate, and pupil diameter) states. © 2012 IEEE.