Validating iCorsi: An immersive virtual reality adaptation of the Corsi Block Tapping Test

Immersive virtual reality (iVR) is increasingly used for cognitive assessment, yet its validity relative to established neuropsychological tools remains insufficiently characterized. The present study evaluates a novel iVR adaptation of the Corsi Block Tapping Test (iCorsi) as a measure of visuospatial working memory. Seventy participants completed both the traditional physical CBTT and the iCorsi, in forward and backward conditions, along with additional cognitive tasks assessing verbal working memory, attentional control, and executive functioning. Performance across modalities was strongly correlated, indicating that iCorsi and the traditional CBTT capture consistent individual differences and rely on a shared underlying visuospatial working memory construct. Frequentist repeated-measures analyses suggested broad comparability between the two task formats, with no reliable main effect of modality. Bayesian paired comparisons provided some evidence of higher performance in the immersive version in the forward condition; however, this difference was modest and did not alter the overall pattern of results. Taken together, these findings support the validity of iCorsi as a measure of visuospatial working memory, while suggesting that minor performance differences across formats may reflect task-related factors-such as attentional engagement-rather than differences in the underlying construct. Additionally, Stroop performance was associated with visuospatial working memory, highlighting the contribution of attentional control to task performance. These results indicate that iVR can provide a valid and scalable platform for cognitive assessment, while underscoring the importance of considering how features of task presentation may subtly influence performance.