Research Methodology
Understanding the four cognitive domains that form the foundation of our ADHD assessment approach:
Important Note
MindReveal is designed to support, not replace, professional clinical assessment. Our tools provide additional objective data to help healthcare professionals make more informed decisions about ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
Scientific Foundation
Our methodology is built on decades of cognitive neuroscience research that has identified specific cognitive domains where individuals with ADHD consistently show differences from neurotypical populations. These domains represent core executive functions that are fundamental to daily functioning and academic success.
By leveraging Virtual Reality technology, we can create standardised, controlled environments that allow for precise measurement of these cognitive functions while maintaining ecological validity — ensuring our assessments reflect real‑world cognitive demands as supported by prior VR‑based ADHD assessment research [1][2][3].
A growing body of evidence demonstrates that immersive VR paradigms — including virtual classroom continuous performance tests and task‑based simulations — can capture attentional variability, inhibitory control, working memory, and temporal processing in ADHD populations with improved ecological validity compared to traditional computerised tasks [1][2][4][5].
Sustained Attention
Cognitive Function
The ability to maintain focused attention on a task over extended periods without becoming distracted.
VR Assessment Task
Participants monitor a virtual environment for specific targets while filtering out distractors, similar to real-world attention demands.
Key Measures
- Reaction time variability
- Detection accuracy
- Attention lapses
- Vigilance decrement
Inhibitory Control
Cognitive Function
The capacity to suppress inappropriate responses, resist impulses, and control behaviour in accordance with goals.
VR Assessment Task
Go/No-Go paradigms in immersive environments where participants must respond to certain stimuli while inhibiting responses to others.
Key Measures
- Commission errors
- Response inhibition accuracy
- Stop-signal reaction time
- Impulse control consistency
Working Memory
Cognitive Function
The ability to hold information in mind while manipulating it, crucial for complex cognitive tasks.
VR Assessment Task
Spatial and verbal working memory tasks in 3D environments, requiring participants to remember and manipulate information sequences.
Key Measures
- Span capacity
- Accuracy under load
- Processing speed
- Dual-task performance
Time Perception
Cognitive Function
The ability to accurately perceive, estimate, and manage time intervals, often impaired in ADHD.
VR Assessment Task
Time estimation and production tasks in virtual scenarios that require temporal judgment and planning.
Key Measures
- Time estimation accuracy
- Temporal discrimination
- Time production variability
- Temporal preparation
Why Virtual Reality?
Ecological Validity
Immersive environments that mirror real-world cognitive demands.
Standardisation
Consistent, controlled conditions across all assessments.
Engagement
Interactive experiences that maintain attention and motivation.
Validation Process
Literature Review
Comprehensive review of existing research on ADHD cognitive assessments and VR applications.
Pilot Studies
Initial validation with small groups to refine tasks and measurement protocols.
Clinical Validation
Collaboration with healthcare professionals to validate against established diagnostic criteria.
References
- Díaz‑Orueta et al. (2014). AULA Nesplora: a virtual reality‑based continuous performance test for the assessment of attention in ADHD. PubMed
- Parsons et al. (2019). Virtual classroom paradigms and ecological validity in ADHD assessment. PubMed
- Fang et al. (2019). Correlation between VR attention tasks and clinical ADHD measures. PMC
- Wiebe et al. (2023). Multimodal virtual reality‑based assessment of adult ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry
- Pakos et al. (2025). Ecologically valid virtual reality tasks for ADHD cognitive assessment. BMC Digital Health