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Tuesday, October 13, 2020
The Science of Virtual Reality: How VR Helps with Memory Retention
VRFocus: Much of the current interest in virtual reality (VR) centres around how it might be a new format to better engage the brain in learning, and how this new medium impacts memory retention, and to better engage the interest of those viewing VR.
I don’t even know why, but I’ve always thought VR as an entertainment tool. I know that VR technology is rapidly improving especially within this COVID period, and I am glad to know that it is expanding its realm of effect, by not only providing entertainments but also education. As it is often said that experiencing in person is one of the most effective ways of learning, I am confident that it will help people learning in various ways, even if it is not heavily related to memory retention. I was also surprised to know that the person who conducted the research was Korean and I hope this news to quickly be spread to Korean web as well so that it could gather more attention. Although I wish this article included more detailed information of how exactly VR works with education and some examples, it was still helpful and interesting to read through.
I’m not surprised that this study found a correlation between memory retention and virtual reality. I have read in other places, often about implicit bias actually, how repeated actions, and actions linked to specific meanings will make shorter and stronger synaptic connections. The combined senses that are being used in virtual reality, to no surprise that a combination of actions make participants retain more of what they are learning. I am also not surprised that VR systems that blocked out outside distractions and light made the user more focused on the content in the virtual reality. When you are truly 100% immersed without distractions, you are going to be more concentrated on that content. I second Jin’s wish to see what the VR educational activities looked like. Thinking about this aspect of VR and its overlap in entertainment, it makes me think a lot about the social aspect of theatre. I think that a lot of theatre is the social-ness of it, which is eliminated in a blacked out VR headset. However, having the ability to really direct the focus of your viewer in a VR also has its perks and power.
VR technology, and by extension, extended reality (XR)in general, is such a fascinating field. While we as consumers often consider XR to be an entertainment tool, it has so many applications beyond simply occupying our attention. The ability to experience something in VR that you otherwise could not in real life is like a loophole for learning, as actual contact and repeated experience are keys to learning! I would not be surprised if, as VR tech continues to proliferate and decrease in cost, if some forms of online education came about on this platform a la Ready Player One. The ability to connect students, teachers, and new experiences regardless of physical distance is an incredible powerful tool if the world learns how to apply VR in an effective manner. However, one thing that still needs further discussion and development is the social aspect of all this, as KT mentioned, since interacting in virtual environment is something of a new dimension beyond simple video or text chat like a Zoom meeting or shared chatroom.
3 comments:
I don’t even know why, but I’ve always thought VR as an entertainment tool. I know that VR technology is rapidly improving especially within this COVID period, and I am glad to know that it is expanding its realm of effect, by not only providing entertainments but also education. As it is often said that experiencing in person is one of the most effective ways of learning, I am confident that it will help people learning in various ways, even if it is not heavily related to memory retention. I was also surprised to know that the person who conducted the research was Korean and I hope this news to quickly be spread to Korean web as well so that it could gather more attention. Although I wish this article included more detailed information of how exactly VR works with education and some examples, it was still helpful and interesting to read through.
I’m not surprised that this study found a correlation between memory retention and virtual reality. I have read in other places, often about implicit bias actually, how repeated actions, and actions linked to specific meanings will make shorter and stronger synaptic connections. The combined senses that are being used in virtual reality, to no surprise that a combination of actions make participants retain more of what they are learning. I am also not surprised that VR systems that blocked out outside distractions and light made the user more focused on the content in the virtual reality. When you are truly 100% immersed without distractions, you are going to be more concentrated on that content. I second Jin’s wish to see what the VR educational activities looked like. Thinking about this aspect of VR and its overlap in entertainment, it makes me think a lot about the social aspect of theatre. I think that a lot of theatre is the social-ness of it, which is eliminated in a blacked out VR headset. However, having the ability to really direct the focus of your viewer in a VR also has its perks and power.
VR technology, and by extension, extended reality (XR)in general, is such a fascinating field. While we as consumers often consider XR to be an entertainment tool, it has so many applications beyond simply occupying our attention. The ability to experience something in VR that you otherwise could not in real life is like a loophole for learning, as actual contact and repeated experience are keys to learning! I would not be surprised if, as VR tech continues to proliferate and decrease in cost, if some forms of online education came about on this platform a la Ready Player One. The ability to connect students, teachers, and new experiences regardless of physical distance is an incredible powerful tool if the world learns how to apply VR in an effective manner. However, one thing that still needs further discussion and development is the social aspect of all this, as KT mentioned, since interacting in virtual environment is something of a new dimension beyond simple video or text chat like a Zoom meeting or shared chatroom.
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