Effect of Pre-Training and Role of Working Memory Characteristics in Learning with Immersive Virtual Reality

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is being incorporated into education, but not all learners have expertise in using this technology. As such, this research examined whether pre-training in IVR can reduce the novelty of this technology and enhance learning from IVR lessons and understand the role of individual differences in managing incoming information (i.e., executive function) and capacity for holding information (i.e., working memory capacity) in learning from an IVR lesson. Participants were split into two conditions; half of the participants played a game in IVR to become knowledgeable about IVR technology and the other half did not play this game. All participants then learned a lesson in IVR, took a posttest, and completed working memory tasks. The results showed that playing the game prior to learning in IVR did not change the learners' experience of distraction or their learning outcome, indicating that IVR game-playing was not an effective form of pre-training. Additionally, several measures of executive function and working memory capacity were correlated with posttest performance, indicating that students with better executive function learn better with distracting media such as IVR, regardless of pre-training. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.