Recently, researchers have begun to investigate the potential of virtual reality (VR) technology in various aspects of the medical field, including cognitive rehabilitation (CR). These studies suggest that, through its unique ability to present objective, ecologically valid stimuli in an interactive and easily-modifiable environment, VR offers tremendous new opportunities for CR. However, to date, only a handful of these studies integrating VR and CR have included clinical populations, and most have been limited to the assessment of component cognitive abilities (i.e. memory, visual-spatial abilities) and/or the evaluation of simple cognitive tasks. One area within CR, which can exemplify VR's potential in assessing complex cognitive behavior, but which remains minimally investigated, is the assessment of driving ability in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the current proposal, I plan to directly examine VR's potential in the assessment of driving ability by comparing a VR driving protocol to a current driving assessment protocol, the behind-the-wheel evaluation (BTW) at two levels: 1) comparison of overall performance and 2) comparison to performance of specific responses/behaviors recorded during the behind-the-wheel evaluation. In addition, by investigating the effects of VR exposure through the use of a standardized questionnaire (i.e., Simulator Sickness Questionnaire), the proposed study will address the need for further understanding of the impact of VR environments on clinical populations.
