The Effects of Primary and Secondary Task Workloads on Cybersickness in Immersive Virtual Active Exploration Experiences

Virtual reality (VR) technology promises to transform humanity. The technology enables users to explore and interact with computer-generated environments that can be simulated to approximate or deviate from reality. This creates an endless number of ways to propitiously apply the technology in our lives. It follows that large technological conglomerates are pushing for the widespread adoption of VR, financing the creation of the Metaverse - a hypothetical representation of the next iteration of the internet. Even with VR technology\u27s continuous growth, its widespread adoption remains long overdue. This can largely be attributed to an affliction called cybersickness, an analog to motion sickness, which often manifests in users as an undesirable side-effect of VR experiences, inhibiting its sustained usage. This makes it highly important to study factors related to the malady. The tasks performed in a simulated environment provide context, purpose, and meaning to the experience. Active exploration experiences afford users control over their motion, primarily allowing them to navigate through an environment. While navigating, users may also have to engage in secondary tasks that can be distracting. These navigation and distraction tasks differ in terms of the source and magnitude of attentional demands involved, potentially influencing how cyber-sickening a simulation can be. Given the sparse literature in this area, this dissertation sets out to investigate how the interplay between these factors impacts the onset and severity of sickness, thereby contributing to the knowledge base on how the attentional demands associated with the tasks performed during navigation affect cybersickness in virtual reality

Effects of cognitive distraction on the regulation of human eating behaviour

In humans, what, when, and how much is eaten is the result of a complex interplay between physiological and psychological dietary controls. The need to identify how these different influences interact is integral to understanding how eating behaviour is regulated in a range of different contexts. In particular, one phenomenon that remains poorly understood is why eating while distracted is associated with increased food intake. The aim of this thesis is to attempt to identify the nature of the potential process that underlies this phenomenon. In Part I, the relationship between dietary strategy, allocation of attention, and amount eaten is explored in three experiments. The results confirm that intake can be predicted by how attention is directed during a meal. Furthermore, contrary to previous accounts that view overeating as a passive behaviour, this research suggests that individuals may choose to direct their attention strategically in order to control their intake. In Part II, four experiments investigate the possibility that the mechanism underlying the relationship between attention and intake is related to a process akin to ‘sensory-specific satiety’. This term describes the hedonic shift in the sensory properties of a food that occur as it is eaten and which is believed to be important in meal termination. The results suggest that distraction is associated with an attenuation of the rate at which ‘desire to eat’ (both generally and specifically for the food being eaten) declines. Furthermore, although declining pleasantness is reported to remain influential in determining eating cessation when distracted, this response is somewhat inhibited, occurring after a greater amount of food has been consumed. Based on this, the conclusion drawn is that the deficit underlying overeating is one of attention, and that this may lead to overeating by undermining the rate at which satiety develops

The use of virtual reality in the assessment of cognitive functioning after brain injury

Brain injury causes a variety of cognitive impairments which vary according to the severity and mechanism of injury. Commonly reported impairments concern attention and memory functions. A thorough and accurate assessment of cognitive deficits is essential for the planning and implementation of rehabilitation. The most widely used measures of cognitive assessment tend to be paper and pencil type tests that are carried out in a clinical setting. These have been criticised however as lacking in ecological validity. In the past 15 to 20 years, assessments have been developed which aim to address this concern, namely; The Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test and The Test of Everyday Attention. Research is beginning to address the issue of the use of virtual reality (VR) in rehabilitation after brain injury but little consideration has been given to the use of VR in the assessment of cognitive functioning after brain injury. This may prove to be a superior form of assessment which relates more directly to individual functioning in real life situations. The present study therefore concerns the use of a virtual reality computer programme, as a means of assessing memory and attention functioning. 43 brain injured individuals were assessed using the VR assessment, standard clinical tests of memory and attention and the two newer assessments which are considered to be more ecologically valid. Relatives/carers completed checklists about the observed memory failures ofthe individuals taking part in the study, as a measure of everyday memory problems. A correlational design is used to analyse the relationships between the different assessments. Further analysis concerns the extent to which the VR assessment involves memory and attentional processing. The potential of the VR task as an ecologically valid assessment of cognitive functioning is discussed

Executive Attention, Action Selection and Attention-Based Learning in Neurally Controlled Autonomous Agents

I describe the design and implementation of an integrated neural architecture, modelled on human executive attention, which is used to control both automatic (reactive) and willed action selection in a simulated robot. The model, based upon Norman and Shallice's supervisory attention system, incorporates important features of human attentional control: selection of an intended task over a more salient automatic task; priming of future tasks that are anticipated; and appropriate levels of persistence of focus of attention. Recognising that attention-based learning, mediated by the limbic system, and the hippocampus in particular, plays an important role in adaptive learning, I extend the Norman and Shallice model, introducing an intrinsic, attention-based learning mechanism that enhances the automaticity of willed actions and reduces future need for attentional effort required for dealing with distractions. These enhanced features support a new level of attentional autonomy in the operation of the simulated robot. Some properties of the model are explored using lesion studies, leading to the identification of a correspondence between the behavioural pathologies of the simulated robot and those seen in human patients suffering dysfunction of executive attention

Perceptual and Cognitive Load in Autism – An Electrophysiological and Behavioural Approach

Attention is a fundamentally important cognitive process and is required to efficiently navigate the world. Whilst altered attentional processes have been frequently observed in autistic people the differences seen suggest that attentional processes are different, however not necessarily deficient. In fact, aspects of superior visual perceptual ability and enhanced perceptual capacity have frequently been reported. The goal of the present thesis was to extend our knowledge of enhanced perceptual capacity under the framework of the Load Theory and to extend the findings to more active components of attention. To address this aim, the first three empirical studies I conducted, assessed selective and executive attention in autism and in a fourth study I investigated the feasibility of a neurofeedback intervention. Specifically, in Chapter 2, I used behavioural markers of congruency effects to consider whether cognitive capacity would be increased for autistic people, analogous to the enhanced perceptual capacity previously reported. In Chapter 3, I investigated electrophysiological aspects of visual working memory capacity and filtering efficiency. The findings were further expanded upon in Chapter 4 by directly contrasting visual working memory capacity and perceptual capacity using electrophysiological markers. Finally, I sought to assess whether practical steps could be taken to address altered attention experienced by autistic adults. The feasibility of an online neurofeedback intervention was investigated to assess whether aspects of attention and mental health could be improved through the training programme (Chapter 5). The findings of the thesis were then summarised and further discussed, highlighting the contribution to the autism attention literature and offering practical recommendations to harness attentional strengths in autism

Adaptive Cognitive Interaction Systems

Adaptive kognitive Interaktionssysteme beobachten und modellieren den Zustand ihres Benutzers und passen das Systemverhalten entsprechend an. Ein solches System besteht aus drei Komponenten: Dem empirischen kognitiven Modell, dem komputationalen kognitiven Modell und dem adaptiven Interaktionsmanager. Die vorliegende Arbeit enthält zahlreiche Beiträge zur Entwicklung dieser Komponenten sowie zu deren Kombination. Die Ergebnisse werden in zahlreichen Benutzerstudien validiert

The role of working memory sub-components in food choice and dieting success

Evidence suggests a role for self-reported working memory (WM) in self-reported food intake, but it is not known which WM sub-components are involved. It is also important to consider how individual differences in dietary restraint and disinhibition influence WM and the impact of this on food choice. The current study assessed the relationship between WM sub-components and food choice, using computerised measures of WM sub-components and a direct assessment of food intake. The role of dieting success (measured by restraint and disinhibition) as a distal predictor of food choice that influences food choices via WM, and the role of WM more generally in dieting success were investigated. Female undergraduate students (N = 117, mean age: 18.9 years, mean BMI: 21.6 kg/m2) completed computer tasks assessing three components of WM (updating, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad) and a snack food taste-test. Greater visuospatial WM span was associated with a higher (lower) percentage of food intake that was low (high) energy dense. It was also found that unsuccessful dieters (high restraint, high disinhibition) had poorer visuospatial WM span and consumed a lower (higher) percentage of low (high) energy dense food. Visuospatial WM span significantly mediated the relationship between dieting success and percentage of low energy dense food intake. Further, dietary restraint was associated with poorer updating ability, irrespective of disinhibition. These findings suggest that better visuospatial WM is associated with a greater (reduced) preference for low (high) energy dense foods, and that deficits in visuospatial WM may undermine dieting attempts. Future work should assess whether the ability to deal with food cravings mediates the relationship between visuospatial WM and dieting success and investigate how WM may influence the mechanisms underlying behavioural control

The role of working memory sub-components in food choice and dieting success

Evidence suggests a role for self-reported working memory (WM) in self-reported food intake, but it is not known which WM sub-components are involved. It is also important to consider how individual differences in dietary restraint and disinhibition influence WM and the impact of this on food choice. The current study assessed the relationship between WM sub-components and food choice, using computerised measures of WM sub-components and a direct assessment of food intake. The role of dieting success (measured by restraint and disinhibition) as a distal predictor of food choice that influences food choices via WM, and the role of WM more generally in dieting success were investigated. Female undergraduate students (N = 117, mean age: 18.9 years, mean BMI: 21.6 kg/m2) completed computer tasks assessing three components of WM (updating, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad) and a snack food taste-test. Greater visuospatial WM span was associated with a higher (lower) percentage of food intake that was low (high) energy dense. It was also found that unsuccessful dieters (high restraint, high disinhibition) had poorer visuospatial WM span and consumed a lower (higher) percentage of low (high) energy dense food. Visuospatial WM span significantly mediated the relationship between dieting success and percentage of low energy dense food intake. Further, dietary restraint was associated with poorer updating ability, irrespective of disinhibition. These findings suggest that better visuospatial WM is associated with a greater (reduced) preference for low (high) energy dense foods, and that deficits in visuospatial WM may undermine dieting attempts. Future work should assess whether the ability to deal with food cravings mediates the relationship between visuospatial WM and dieting success and investigate how WM may influence the mechanisms underlying behavioural control

Attention Restraint, Working Memory Capacity, and Mind Wandering: Do Emotional Valence or Intentionality Matter?

Attention restraint appears to mediate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and mind wandering (Kane et al., 2016). Prior work has identifed two dimensions of mind wandering—emotional valence and intentionality. However, less is known about how WMC and attention restraint correlate with these dimensions. Te current study examined the relationship between WMC, attention restraint, and mind wandering by emotional valence and intentionality. A confrmatory factor analysis demonstrated that WMC and attention restraint were strongly correlated, but only attention restraint was related to overall mind wandering, consistent with prior fndings. However, when examining the emotional valence of mind wandering, attention restraint and WMC were related to negatively and positively valenced, but not neutral, mind wandering. Attention restraint was also related to intentional but not unintentional mind wandering. Tese results suggest that WMC and attention restraint predict some, but not all, types of mind wandering