Research On Evaluation Of Pilot’s Spatial Cognition Ability Based On Virtual Reality

Purpose:To investigate effectiveness of mental rotation test and maze test based on virtual reality in predicting pilots’ visualization ability and orientation ability,as well as the effects of age,gender and flight time on spatial ability,in order to establish a novel experimental method for testing spatial cognitive ability.Methods:Analysis of criterion testTo ensure the accuracy of the study measurements,the scale was further analyzed.The participants were 200 healthy pilots who passed the inpatient modification medical examination between February 2022 and April 2022 to fill out the Pilot flight ability evaluation scale.SPSS 23.0 was applied to analyze the scale,and the scale was validated by item analysis,reliability analysis,validity analysis and one-sample K-S test.Study of spatial visualization testThe participants were 118 healthy pilots who were hospitalized between April 2022 and June 2022 for the modification medical examination.The pilot flight ability evaluation scale was used as criterion of test validity.According to scale’s score,pilots were divided into high,middle or low spatial ability group pursuant 27% allocation principle.Differences in reaction time,correct rate and correct number per second of mental rotation test between groups were compared.Correlations between scale scores and mental rotation test scores were analyzed.Reaction time,correct rate and correct number per second of mental rotation test among different age groups and between genders were also compared.Study of spatial orientation test127 healthy pilots were enrolled in the experiment who were hospitalized between June 2022 and August 2022 for the modification medical examination.The pilot flight ability evaluation scale was used as criterion of test validity.According to scale’s score,pilots were divided into high,middle or low spatial ability group pursuant 27%allocation principle.Differences in reaction time among subgroups were compared.Correlations between scale scores and reaction time of maze test were analyzed.Results:Analysis of criterion testThe t-test was used to compared difference between the high scores groups and low scores groups,and the results showed that the absolute value of the t-value was greater than 1.96,and the P-values of Q1 to Q21 were all less than 0.01.The Cronbach reliability coefficient was 0.933.The Bartlett’s sphericity test statistic P value was 0.000,the KMO statistic was 0.936,and the absolute values of the factors loading coefficients of the 21 items were greater than 0.4;the K-S test showed P value was 0.071.Study of spatial visualization testReaction time of high spatial ability group was remarkably slower than low spatial ability group(Z=22.03,P=0.030);Correct number per second of high spatial ability group was dramatically higher than low spatial ability group(Z=-21.05,P=0.042);There were no significant differences in reaction time,correct rate and correct number per second between different genders(Z=-1.331,P=0.183;Z=-0.013,P=0.989;Z=-1.518,P=0.247).Pilots in 29～35 year old age group had considerably slower RT than those in22～28 year old age group(Z=26.28,P=0.013);Pilots in 29～35 year old age group had conspicuously higher CNPS than pilots in 22～28 year old age group(Z=-22.74,P=0.042).All pilots’ scale scores were positively correlated with CNPS(r=0.254,P=0.006),and negatively correlated with RT(r=-0.234,P=0.011).Study of spatial orientation testReaction time of low spatial ability group was remarkably higher than high and middle spatial ability group(Z=-2.021,P=0.043;Z=-2.410,P=0.016).Pilots in 22～28years old age group had considerably slower reaction time than those in 29～35 years old and more than 35 years old age group(Z=-2.495,P=0.013;Z=-2.158,P=0.031).Pilots with more than 2000 hours of flight time had significantly higher reaction time than those with less than 1000 hours and 1000～2000 hours of flight time(Z=-2.741,P=0.006;Z=-2.388,P=0.017).Pilots’ scale scores were negatively correlated with their reaction time(r=-0.195,P=0.028).Conclusion:This study combines virtual reality with traditional spatial visualization test and spatial orientation test to establishes an experimental method for spatial cognition test based on virtual reality technology,which provides new theories and approaches for predicting pilots’ spatial ability,improving the efficiency of pilot selection and training and the quality of medical assessment.