One important feature of a neuropsychological test is its ecological validity, which defines how much patients’ test scores are linked to real-life functioning. However, many of the currently available neuropsychological tools show low to moderate levels of ecological validity. Virtual reality (VR) emerged as a possible solution that might enhance the ecological value of standard paper-and-pencil tests, thanks to the possibility of simulating realistic environments and situations where patients can behave as they do in real life. Moreover, a recent kind of virtual environments, the 360° spherical photos and videos, seems to guarantee high levels of graphical realism and lower technical complexity than standard VR, despite their limitations concerning interactive design. In this pilot study, we tested the possible application of 360° technology for the assessment of memory, developing an adaptation of a standardized test. We focused on Free Recall and Recognition accuracies as indexes of memory function, confronting and correlating the performances obtained by the participants in the standard and in the 360° test. The results, even if preliminary, support the use of 360° technology for enhancing the ecological value of standard memory assessment tests.

神经心理学测试的一个重要特征是它的生态有效性，它定义了多少患者的测试分数与现实生活中的功能有关。但是，许多当前可用的神经心理学工具显示出低至中等水平的生态有效性。虚拟现实（VR）成为可能的解决方案，可以提高标准纸笔测试的生态价值，这是由于可以模拟现实环境和患者可以像现实生活中那样行事的情况。此外，尽管它们在交互设计方面存在局限性，但最近的一种虚拟环境，即360°球形照片和视频，似乎可以保证比标准VR更高的图形逼真度和更低的技术复杂性。在这项初步研究中，我们测试了360°技术在内存评估中的可能应用，并开发了标准测试的改编版。我们专注于将自由回忆和识别的准确性作为记忆功能的指标，与标准和360°测试中的参与者所获得的性能相对并相互关联。这些结果，即使是初步的，也支持使用360°技术来增强标准内存评估测试的生态价值。