EPELI: a novel virtual reality task for the assessment of goal-directed behavior in real-life contexts

Seesjärvi, Erik; Puhakka, Jasmin; Aronen, Eeva T.; Hering, Alexandra; Zuber, Sascha; Merzon, Liya; Kliegel, Matthias; Laine, Matti; Salmi, Juha · 2022 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01770-z

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Summary

This study introduces and evaluates EPELI (Executive Performance in Everyday LIving), a novel virtual reality (VR) task designed to assess goal-directed behavior, attention, executive functions, and prospective memory in naturalistic contexts. The research addresses the limitations of traditional neuropsychological tests, which often lack ecological validity due to simplified stimuli and artificial environments. By simulating everyday household chores within a virtual apartment, EPELI aims to provide a more realistic assessment of cognitive skills while maintaining experimental control. The primary objective was to examine the psychometric properties of EPELI, including internal consistency, sensitivity to demographic factors, and its relationship with real-world executive functioning, in a sample of typically developing children. The study involved 77 children aged 9 to 13 years. Participants navigated a virtual apartment using head-mounted displays (HMDs), specifically the Oculus Go or Pico Neo 2 Eye, to complete 13 scenarios of household tasks instructed by a virtual character. The task required participants to encode instructions, navigate the environment, interact with objects, and manage time, while ignoring distractors. Performance was measured across eight metrics, including task efficacy, navigation efficacy, total actions, and prospective memory scores. The researchers also assessed participants’ verbal recall ability, gaming background, and familiarity with the tasks. Parent-rated everyday executive problems were measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) to evaluate the task’s veridicality. Statistical analyses examined internal consistency, age and gender differences, and correlations between EPELI performance and background variables. The results demonstrated that six of the eight EPELI measures showed acceptable internal consistency, including task and navigation efficacy, number of correctly performed tasks, overall actions, time monitoring, and controller movement. EPELI performance was significantly associated with parent-rated everyday executive problems, supporting the task’s ecological validity. Some measures varied by age, gender, or verbal encoding ability, reflecting developmental trends in executive functions. However, no significant associations were found between performance and gaming experience, task familiarity, or the type of HMD used. Simulator sickness was minimal, and participants reported positive experiences. These findings indicate that EPELI reliably captures goal-directed behavior and executive functioning in a naturalistic setting. The significance of this work lies in establishing EPELI as a robust, ecologically valid tool for assessing cognitive functions in children. By bridging the gap between laboratory-based tests and real-world behavior, EPELI offers a promising method for both research and clinical applications. Its ability to correlate with parent-reported executive problems suggests it can effectively identify everyday functional difficulties. The lack of influence from gaming background or hardware type enhances its generalizability across different user groups and technological setups. This study supports the growing use of immersive VR in neuropsychology, providing a scalable and controlled environment for evaluating complex cognitive processes that are difficult to measure with traditional paradigms.

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