Traditional and Immersive Virtual Reality Administrations of the Corsi Block Tapping Test: Findings from Two Experimental Studies

The Corsi Block Tapping Test (CBTT) is a standard nonverbal measure of visuospatial working memory. While digital versions have improved standardization and measurement precision, most rely on two-dimensional displays, limiting depth cues and spatial realism. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers three-dimensional environments that may enhance ecological validity; however, the equivalence between iVR-based and traditional CBTT administration remains to be empirically established. The present work describes the development and validation of two immersive CBTT applications administered via head-mounted display (HMD): iCorsi, a direct replication of the standard CBTT, and iCorsi-Birds, a gamified immersive variant. Two experimental studies were conducted to assess performance comparability between traditional and iVR-based administrations. In Study 1, seventy university students completed both the traditional physical CBTT and the iCorsi in a within-subjects design. Performance scores were compared across modalities to evaluate administration effects. Results revealed no significant differences between the traditional and immersive versions. In Study 2, forty university students completed the traditional CBTT and the gamified immersive version, iCorsi-Birds. Analyses examined whether immersion and gamification affected visuospatial working memory performance. No significant differences were observed between the traditional and iVR gamified conditions. Overall, these findings provide preliminary experimental evidence supporting the equivalence of immersive VR-based and traditional CBTT administrations. The results suggest that immersive VR, including gamified implementations, can be integrated into visuospatial working memory assessment without compromising measurement validity, potentially increasing engagement and ecological relevance for research and clinical applications.