The effect of VR on fine motor performance by older adults: a comparison between real and virtual tasks

Abstract Virtual Reality (VR) technology has the potential to support the aging population and improve testing of daily abilities to detect functional decline. In multiple research studies, VR performance of participants has been assessed by measuring time to complete test, but the effect of learning how to use the VR system and differences between real and virtual environments have been understudied, especially for fine motor tasks. In this study, 20 older adults ages 65–84 performed a task that required fine motor skills in real-life and then in a VR replica of the same task. All participants completed the task in each setting with no difficulties. A clear learning effect was observed in VR, which was attributed to learning how to use the device itself. Still, participants could not reach the same level of performance (time) in VR as in real-life. Participants rated the VR task more mentally and physically demanding than in real-life, as well as more stressful, but with an overall low cognitive demand. In an exploratory cluster analysis, participants with an average age of 69 years old had more technological devices, found the VR system more usable and realistic than participants in the group with an average of 76 years old. This study demonstrated that VR influences time to complete a fine motor task, and that learning effects related to the system could be confounded with actual task performance if not properly considered in VR studies with older adults.