虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)錘煉敏銳思維

陳棟

People remember information better if it is presented to them in a virtual environment as opposed to desktop computers， researchers， including one of Indian origin， have found.

The study， published in the journal Virtual Reality， found that people learn better through virtual， immersive environments as opposed to more traditional platforms like a two-dimensional desktop computer or hand-held tablet.

“This data is exciting in that1 it suggests that immersive environment could offer new pathways for improved outcomes in education and high-proficiency training，” said Amitabh Varshney， a professor at the University of Maryland in the US.

For the study， the team used the concept of a “memory palace，”—where people recall an object or item by placing it in an imaginary physical location like a building or town.

The method has been used since classical times2， taking advantage of the human brain’s ability to spatially organise thoughts and memories.

“Humans have always used visual-based methods to help them remember information， whether it’s cave drawings， clay tablets， printed text and images， or video，” said Eric Krokos， a doctoral student at the University of Maryland.

The researchers recruited 40 volunteers—mostly students unfamiliar with virtual reality. They split the participants into two groups： one viewed information first via a VR3 head-mounted4 display and then on a desktop; the other did the opposite.

Both groups received printouts of well-known faces and familiarised themselves with the images. They then showed the participants the faces using the memory palace format with two imaginary locations.

Both of the study groups navigated each memory palace for five minutes. Desktop participants used a mouse to change their viewpoint， while VR users turned their heads.

Next， the users were asked to memorise the location of each of the faces shown. Half the faces were positioned in different locations within the interior setting—Oprah Winfrey appeared at the top of a grand staircase; Stephen Hawking was a few steps down， followed by Shrek.

On the ground floor， Napoleon Bonaparte’s face sat above majestic wooden table， while Martin Luther King Jr was positioned in the centre of the room.

Similarly， for the medieval town setting， users viewed images that included Hillary Clinton’s face on the left side of a building， with Mickey Mouse and Batman placed at varying heights on nearby structures.

Then， the scene went blank， and after a two-minute break， each memory palace reappeared with numbered boxes where the faces had been. The research participants were then asked to recall which face had been in each location where a number was now displayed.

The key was for participants to identify each face by its physical location and its relation to surrounding structures and faces—and also the location of the image relative to the user’s own body.

The results showed an 8.8 per cent improvement overall in recall accuracy using the VR headsets， a statistically significant number according to the research team.

Many of the participants said the immersive “presence5” while using VR allowed them to focus better. This was reflected in the research results： 40 per cent of the participants scored at least 10 per cent higher in recall ability using VR over the desktop display.

“Recent research in cognitive psychology suggests that the mind is inherently embodied6， and that the way humans create and recall mental constructs is influenced by the way they perceive and move，” said Catherine Plaisant， a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland.

“This leads to the possibility that a spatial virtual memory palace—experienced in an immersive virtual environment—could enhance learning and recall by leveraging a person’s overall sense of body position， movement and acceleration，” she said.

“By showing that virtual reality can help improve recall， it opens the door to further studies that look at the impact of VR-based training modules at all levels—from elementary school children learning astronomy to trauma residents7 acquiring the latest knowledge in lifesaving procedures，” Varshney added.

研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)（其中包括一名印度裔研究者），相比于臺(tái)式計(jì)算機(jī)，如果信息是在虛擬環(huán)境中呈現(xiàn)，人們能更好地記住它們。

該研究發(fā)表于《虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)》雜志。它發(fā)現(xiàn)，相比于一些較為傳統(tǒng)的平臺(tái)，譬如二維臺(tái)式計(jì)算機(jī)或是手持平板電腦，人們通過虛擬、沉浸式的環(huán)境可以取得更好的學(xué)習(xí)效果。

“這一數(shù)據(jù)令人振奮，因?yàn)樗砻?，沉浸式的環(huán)境可以為教育和高效技能培訓(xùn)提供卓有成效的新途徑?！泵绹R里蘭大學(xué)教授阿米塔布·瓦什尼說道。

在此研究中，該團(tuán)隊(duì)使用了“記憶宮殿”這一概念——在這座宮殿里，人們將某物放在一個(gè)假想的物理位置譬如一棟建筑或一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)中，以便記起它們。

這一方法自古典時(shí)期便被采用。它利用了人類大腦通過空間組織思維和記憶的能力。

埃里克·克羅科斯是馬里蘭大學(xué)的一名博士生，他表示：“無論是洞穴壁畫、泥板、印刷的文字和圖像，抑或是視頻，人類一直都在使用基于視覺的方法來幫助他們記住信息?！?/p>

研究者招募了40名志愿者——大部分為對(duì)虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)不甚了解的學(xué)生。他們將參與者分成兩組：一組先通過VR頭顯查看信息，然后在臺(tái)式機(jī)上查看;另一組則剛好相反。

兩組人員都收到了許多名人的照片，他們要做的就是記住這些圖像。然后，研究人員在兩個(gè)虛擬場所，以記憶宮殿的形式向參與者展示每副面孔。

兩組研究對(duì)象在每座記憶宮殿里都觀察了五分鐘。臺(tái)式機(jī)用戶通過鼠標(biāo)來切換視圖，而VR用戶則通過轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)頭部來觀察。

接下來，參與者被要求記住每一副面孔所處的位置。其中一半的面孔被安排在室內(nèi)場景的不同位置——奧普拉·溫弗瑞出現(xiàn)在主樓梯的頂部，史蒂芬·霍金在她下面，隔了幾級(jí)臺(tái)階，再后面則是怪物史萊克。

在一樓，拿破侖·波拿巴的面孔出現(xiàn)在華麗莊嚴(yán)的木桌上，小馬丁·路德·金的面孔則位于房間的正中間。

同樣，在中世紀(jì)小鎮(zhèn)場景中，參與者會(huì)看到希拉里·克林頓的臉出現(xiàn)在一棟建筑的左側(cè)，米老鼠和蝙蝠俠則高低錯(cuò)落在附近的建筑物上。

隨后，場景會(huì)變成空白。間隔兩分鐘后，每座記憶宮殿又會(huì)再次出現(xiàn)，但原先的面孔被替換成標(biāo)了序號(hào)的盒子。然后，研究參與者們會(huì)被要求回憶現(xiàn)在顯示數(shù)字的這些地方之前出現(xiàn)的是誰的面孔。

測試的關(guān)鍵在于讓參與者通過每副面孔的物理位置、其與周圍建筑和其他面孔的關(guān)系，以及該圖像相對(duì)于用戶自身所處的位置識(shí)別出它們。

該研究結(jié)果顯示，使用VR頭像的記憶準(zhǔn)確度總體上提高了8.8%。據(jù)研究團(tuán)隊(duì)稱，這個(gè)數(shù)字在統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)上具有顯著性。

許多參與者表示，使用VR頭顯時(shí)營造的那種身臨其境的“現(xiàn)場感”使他們能更加專注。研究結(jié)果也反映了這一點(diǎn)：與通過臺(tái)式機(jī)查看相比，40%的參與者在使用VR設(shè)備記憶時(shí)得分至少高出10%。

“近來對(duì)認(rèn)知心理學(xué)的研究表明，心智本質(zhì)上是具身的。人類創(chuàng)造和回憶心理構(gòu)念的方式受他們感知和移動(dòng)方式的影響?！瘪R里蘭大學(xué)高級(jí)研究員凱瑟琳·普萊桑特說道。

“這帶來一種可能性，即人們?cè)诔两降奶摂M環(huán)境中體驗(yàn)空間虛擬記憶宮殿時(shí)，可以調(diào)動(dòng)一個(gè)人對(duì)身體位置、運(yùn)動(dòng)和加速度的整體感知——這能提升學(xué)習(xí)效果，加深記憶。”她說道。

瓦什尼補(bǔ)充道：“虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)可以幫助提高記憶力，這為進(jìn)一步的研究打開了大門。這些研究著眼于以虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)為基礎(chǔ)的培訓(xùn)模塊的各個(gè)層面——從小學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)天文學(xué)到創(chuàng)傷科住院醫(yī)生學(xué)習(xí)最新的急救程序相關(guān)知識(shí)?！?

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)選手）

1 in that由于，因?yàn)椤?/p>

2 classical times古典時(shí)期。 ?3 = virtual reality虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)。 ?4 head-mounted頭戴式。

5 presence在場。

6 embodied具身。源自embodied cognition具身認(rèn)知，是心理學(xué)中一個(gè)新興的研究領(lǐng)域。具身認(rèn)知理論主要指生理體驗(yàn)與心理狀態(tài)之間有著強(qiáng)烈的聯(lián)系。生理體驗(yàn)“激活”心理感覺，反之亦然。簡言之，就是人在開心的時(shí)候會(huì)微笑，而如果微笑，人也會(huì)趨向于變得更開心。 ?7 trauma resident創(chuàng)傷科住院醫(yī)生。