DataSheet1_Normative performance data on visual attention in neurotypical children: virtual reality assessment of cognitive and psychomotor development.pdf

Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR) is revolutionizing healthcare research and practice by offering innovative methodologies across various clinical conditions. Advances in VR technology enable the creation of controllable, multisensory 3D environments, making it an appealing tool for capturing and quantifying behavior in realistic scenarios. This paper details the application of VR as a tool for neurocognitive evaluation, specifically in attention process assessment, an area of relevance for informing the diagnosis of childhood health conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Methods: The data presented focuses on attention performance results from a large sample (n = 837) of neurotypical male and female children (ages 6–13) tested on a visual continuous performance task, administered within an immersive VR classroom environment. This data was collected to create a normative baseline database for use to inform comparisons with the performances of children with ADHD to support diagnostic decision-making in this area.
Results: Results indicate systematic improvements on most metrics across the age span, and sex differences are noted on key variables thought to reflect differential measures of hyperactivity and inattention in children with ADHD. Results support VR technology as a safe and viable option for testing attention processes in children, under stimulus conditions that closely mimic ecologically relevant challenges found in everyday life.
Discussion: In response to these stimulus conditions, VR can support advanced methods for capturing and quantifying users’ behavioral responses. VR offers a more systematic and objective approach for clinical assessment and intervention and provides conceptual support for its use in a wide variety of healthcare contexts.

引言：虚拟现实（Virtual Reality, VR）正通过为各类临床病症提供创新研究方法，重塑医疗健康领域的研究与实践范式。虚拟现实技术的进步使得可操控、多感知的三维环境得以构建，使其成为在真实场景中捕捉与量化行为表现的理想工具。本文详述了虚拟现实作为神经认知评估工具的应用，尤其聚焦于注意力过程测评，该领域可为注意缺陷多动障碍（Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD）等儿童健康病症的诊断提供参考依据。
方法：本数据集聚焦于大样本（n=837）神经典型（neurotypical）男女儿童（年龄6~13岁）的注意力表现结果，这些儿童在沉浸式虚拟现实教室环境中完成了视觉持续操作任务。本数据的采集旨在构建标准化常模基线数据库，用于与注意缺陷多动障碍儿童的表现进行对比，以辅助该领域的临床诊断决策。
结果：研究结果显示，在整个年龄区间内，多数测评指标均呈现出系统性提升；同时，在被认为可反映注意缺陷多动障碍儿童多动与注意力不集中特征的关键变量上，观察到了性别差异。本研究结果证实，虚拟现实技术是一种安全且可行的儿童注意力过程测评方案，其刺激环境能够高度模拟日常生活中符合生态效度的挑战场景。
讨论：针对上述刺激环境，虚拟现实可提供先进的行为响应捕捉与量化方法。虚拟现实为临床评估与干预提供了更具系统性与客观性的路径，并为其在各类医疗健康场景中的应用提供了理论支撑。