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Background: The growing field of artificial intelligence has opened new opportunities in computerized cognitive-training design (CCT), closer to everyday situations, specifically in the prevention of neurocognitive disorders. The aim of our exploratory study was to characterize the importance of social and cognitive facilitators in avatar-mediated CCT with reference to aging and minor neurocognitive disorders and to specify its relationship with cognitive difficulties.
Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study using a virtual environment simulating a supermarket. We compared performance and sense of spatial and social presence for 16 young adults, 16 healthy older adults, and 17 older adults with mild neurocognitive disorders.
Results: Older adults (with and without neurocognitive impairment) showed significantly poorer performance on the social presence dimension, but not on the spatial presence and self-dimensions. In contrast, healthy adults (young or old) make significantly fewer errors of execution on the travelling task in a virtual environment that included verbal support mediated by an avatar.
Conclusion: Considering that two types of facilitators can be considered for the use of CCT (social facilitators that can take the form of avatars, and cognitive facilitators in the form of structured cognitive support), then the results obtained suggest that only cognitive support would be decisive
