A Research for a User Interface to Assess and Improve User's Spatial Cognitive Ability

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The assessment of cognitive spatial and constructional ability is an important clinical tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of brain disease or injury. It is also indispensable in scientific study of cognitive brain function. Techniques for assessment include asking patients or participants to perform purely cognitive tasks such as mental rotation, as well as constructional tasks involving arrangement of blocks and puzzle pieces into a target configuration. These constructional tasks have the advantage of probing not only pure spatial ability, but also the ability to perceive, plan, and act in the world. Studies suggest that assessment with three-dimensional (3D) forms of these tasks may be most demanding and sensitive. However, use of 3D tasks in assessment has been limited by their inherent complexity, which requires considerable examiner training, effort and time if scoring is to consistent and reliable.To overcome the limitations of existing 3D spatial cognitive assessments, we designed an automated tool for examination of 3D spatial cognitive ability. As a prototype of this user interface, we implemented by use of ActiveCube. In the evaluation, users attempt to construct a target 3D shape, while each change of shape they make is automatically recorded and scored for assessment. In order to evaluate this prototype system, we conducted several experiments. As a result, it is enough sensitive to distinguish subjects' cognitive and constructional abilities. Moreover, we have acquired knowledge to improve our prototype system. As a result of the comparisons between pre-experiment and post-experiment scores of mental rotation tests, our prototype user interface could improve users' 3-D spatial cognitive ability.