arXiv subjects

Petros Roussos

Publications and source records attributed to Petros Roussos.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Ageing, Digital Literacy, and Interaction Modality in Immer-sive Virtual Reality: Psychomotor Performance, Cognitive Flexibility, and Their Processing-Speed Association

Extended reality (XR) increasingly supports training and cognitive assessment, yet the age sensitivity of its interaction techniques is unclear. This study examined age, digital literacy, and interaction modality as correlates of psychomotor and cognitive-flexibility performance in immersive virtual reality (VR). Two hundred and two adults (19-90 years) completed a five-mode Fitts' law task (eye-gaze, head-gaze, controller ray-casting, virtual finger, and controller direct touch), the Trail Making Test in VR (TMT-VR), and a digital-literacy questionnaire. Age was associated with slower task times across modes, but controller direct touch carried the steepest relative age gradient yet remained among the fastest in absolute terms; technique altered relative age sensitivity without determining absolute efficiency. Higher digital literacy was associated with faster TMT-VR completion but not Fitts task times. A Fitts-derived speed score predicted TMT-VR performance beyond age and partly accounted for its age association, consistent with shared processing-speed variance; an exploratory full-battery extension confined the Fitts-score association to completion-time and error-adjusted-time indices and the digital-literacy association to error-adjusted-time indices, not wrong-target errors, mean selection distance, or relative Part B indices. Age-inclusive XR assessment should standardise interaction modality, evaluate rather than exclude mid-air direct selection, and interpret cognitive scores alongside digital literacy and psychomotor speed.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2023

Examination of Cybersickness in Virtual Reality: The Role of Individual Differences, Effects on Cognitive Functions & Motor Skills, and Intensity Differences During and After Immersion

Background: Given that VR is applied in multiple domains, understanding the effects of cyber-sickness on human cognition and motor skills and the factors contributing to cybersickness gains urgency. This study aimed to explore the predictors of cybersickness and its interplay with cognitive and motor skills. Methods: 30 participants, 20-45 years old, completed the MSSQ and the CSQ-VR, and were immersed in VR. During immersion, they were exposed to a roller coaster ride. Before and after the ride, participants responded to CSQ-VR and performed VR-based cognitive and psychomotor tasks. Post-VR session, participants completed the CSQ-VR again. Results: Motion sickness susceptibility, during adulthood, was the most prominent predictor of cybersickness. Pupil dilation emerged as a significant predictor of cybersickness. Experience in videogaming was a significant predictor of both cybersickness and cognitive/motor functions. Cybersickness negatively affected visuospatial working memory and psychomotor skills. Overall cybersickness', nausea and vestibular symptoms' intensities significantly decreased after removing the VR headset. Conclusions: In order of importance, motion sickness susceptibility and gaming experience are significant predictors of cybersickness. Pupil dilation appears as a cybersickness' biomarker. Cybersickness negatively affects visuospatial working memory and psychomotor skills. Cybersickness and its effects on performance should be examined during and not after immersion.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2023

Virtual Reality Training of Social Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Examination of Acceptability, Usability, User Experience, Social Skills, and Executive Functions

Poor social skills in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are associated with reduced independence in daily life. Current interventions for improving the social skills of individuals with ASD fail to represent the complexity of real-life social settings and situations. Virtual reality (VR) may facilitate social skills training in social environments and situations proximal to real life, however, more research is needed for elucidating aspects such as the acceptability, usability, and user experience of VR systems in ASD. Twenty-five participants with ASD attended a neuropsychological evaluation and three sessions of VR social skills training, incorporating five (5) social scenarios with three difficulty levels for each. Participants reported high acceptability, system usability, and user experience. Significant correlations were observed between performance in social scenarios, self-reports, and executive functions. Working memory and planning ability were significant predictors of functionality level in ASD and the VR system's perceived usability respectively. Yet, performance in social scenarios was the best predictor of usability, acceptability, and functionality level in ASD. Planning ability substantially predicted performance in social scenarios, postulating an implication in social skills. Immersive VR social skills training appears effective in individuals with ASD, yet an error-less approach, which is adaptive to the individual's needs, should be preferred.

cs.HC↗