Evaluation of a Virtual Reality and Haptic Simulation of a Block Design Test

The objective of this research was to develop a computer-based system for psychomotor skill assessment and training. The focus was on virtual reality (VR) simulation of an established pattern assembly task incorporating a haptic interface. A prototype VR and haptic-based system was developed to replicate established testing protocols, facilitate automated test scoring, and produce quantitative test output. The prototype was also compared to a native version of the test. Participants completed multiple training trials of the VR or native tests. Training effects were measured by comparing performance on objective baseline and post-tests administered before and after training, respectively. Results revealed training in either the VR or the native versions of the task to produce significant (p<0.0001) performance increases from baseline, but neither version resulted in significant improvements over the other. The VR-haptic simulation was found to represent a viable psychomotor test and training method.