Naturalistic assessment of age-related difference in spatial learning and navigation performance : role of memory, executive and motor control decline
type: Dataset
description: Since several years, virtual reality is widely used in neuropsychology, especially for the study of spatial cognition. The goal of its use is to respond to the lack of ecological validity of classical tests and to the lack of experimental control of assessments in real situations. The studies in the domain of spatial cognition reveal the complexity of learning and navigation activities in large scales spaces and suggest a multifactorial origin to spatial learning and navigation in older adults. The aim of this thesis will be first to verify the ecological validity of our virtual reality application, with a direct comparison of spatial learning and navigation performances between real and virtual learning conditions, in young and old participants. Another goal will be to confirm the hypothesis on the role of executive and memory decline in age-related spatial learning and navigation difficulties. Finally, the role of motor control in spatial learning in large scale spaces, which is poorly studied within the framework of aging, will be tested. With the use of a virtual reality application, requiring memorizing a path in a virtual district replicating a district of Bordeaux, we have studied the effects of aging on spatial memory and navigation performances. We compared real and virtual, active and passive learning conditions and studied the relation between spatial memory and navigation performances with neurocognitive measures and self-report questionnaires on everyday navigation difficulties. Our main results showed a negative effect of aging on the performances in our application, with pattern of results similar between real and virtual learning conditions in young and old participants. We obtained a good relation between measures from our virtual application and everyday navigation difficulties reported by the young participants but no differences between young and old participants on everyday navigation difficulties. These results confirm the good ecological valid…
issued: 2026-05-07T18:15:39.761375
language: fr
modified: 2026-05-07T18:15:39.761379
contact point: Organization
  fn: CCSD
keyword: cognition-spatiale
keyword: cognitive-aging
keyword: declin-executif
keyword: executive-functionning
keyword: infoeu-reposemanticsdoctoralthesis
keyword: realite-virtuelle
keyword: sccopsyccognitive-sciencepsychology
keyword: spatial-cognition
keyword: theses
keyword: vieillissement-cognitif
keyword: virtual-reality
landing page: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00920503

Naturalistic assessment of age-related difference in spatial learning and navigation performance : role of memory, executive and motor control decline
type: Distribution
format: HTML
issued: 2026-05-07T18:15:39.762627
modified: 2026-05-07T18:15:39.750567
access URL: https://theses.hal.science/tel-00920503

test_moissonnage_selune
type: Agent