Simulation in Health Sciences Education

The Clinical Neuropsychology and Simulation (CNS) Lab is housed in the Psychology Department at the University of North Texas. The CNS Lab is interested the theoretical and clinical aspects of frontal subcortical circuits that underlie neurocognitive and affective regulation following trauma (TBI; PTSD) and/or neurological illness (e.g., HIV; Alzheimer's; Parkinson's). Further, the CNS lab has interest in research into neurodevelopmental disorders that impact frontostriatal function (e.g. Autism; ADHD).

If you are interested and have some time, I would appreciate you asking this patient some questions. He is not designed for general chit chat so he won't be able to answer very many of those types of questions. He is programmed as a patient who is being interviewed by his doctor. Also, I would welcome have any general comments or suggestions on the environment itself.

Please note, all conversations are logged. You do not need to use your real name but we do record all conversations with the patient. We will use these to improve his communication abilities.

Here is a link to the Web Version of the patient. You may need to install a small browser plug-in from Unity.

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A virtual reality test being developed at UTSC might do a better job than pencil-and-paper tests of predicting whether a cognitive impairment will have real-world consequences.

The test developed by Konstantine Zakzanis, associate professor of psychology, and colleagues, uses a computer-game-like virtual world and asks volunteers to navigate their ways through tasks such as delivering packages or running errands around town.

“The concept is something like World of Warcraft, where everyone in the world is playing the same game,” Hanke said. Players are on one of two teams: “The Enlightened,” who embrace the power, or “The Resistance,” who fight the power. Anyone can play from anywhere in the world, though in more densely played areas there will be more local competition for resources.

Outdoor physical activity is a big component of this, though driving between locations isn’t banned. “You’re like a rat in a maze on the phone,” Hanke said. Then, back at your computer, you can review the larger area and gameplay.

This would be awesome with Google Glass.