n edge. A recent study6 from the University of Maryland demonstrates that VR displays “…afford a superior spatial awareness by leveraging our vestibular and proprioceptive senses as compared to traditional desktop displays.” How do they do this? By creating virtual “memory palaces.”
Memory palaces are a natural spatial mnemonic in use since classical times. They take advantage of the brain’s ability organize thoughts and concepts spatially. For example, the Roman orator Cicero was believed to have used the memory palace technique by envisioning speeches and poems as spaces within the auditorium he was orating. The concept behind memory palaces is to “…map words or phrases onto a mental model of an environment…and then recall those phrases by mentally visualizing that part of the environment6.”
The University of Maryland study demonstrated that users who used VR had an 8.8% improvement in recall accuracy compared to those who learned information via desktop computer. In other words, VR users created a more robust and effective memory palace. That’s good news for those of us in healthcare marketing looking for a way to make our messages stickier with our audiences. In concluding the study, the researchers wrote, “If memory recall could be enhanced through immersively experiencing the environment in which the information was learned, it would suggest that virtual environments could serve as a valuable tool for various facets of retrospective cognizance, including retention and recall.”
Immersive experiences, specifically VR and AR, will drive future learning tools that help healthcare marketers change healthcare provider behaviors to improve patient care. Additionally, these new immersive experiences allow learners to learn more deeply—not just reading about the heart but magnifying and touching it; not just watching a video about a drug’s mechanism of action but holding the molecules in your hand and putting them together in real time. The future is literally now. If we want to change behaviors, these new immersive experiences must become an indispensable part of our toolkit.
2. https://case.edu/research/sites/case.edu.research/files/2018-08/Mixed Reality_ A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Teaching and Learning _ EDUCAUSE.pdf
About the author
Craig has 20 years of experience in the marketing and advertising industries, working with companies ranging from Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to large pharmaceutical clients doing both disease state and branded work. His core skills include team leadership, management of cross-functional partners and vendors, executional strategy for video and digital assets, and collaboration with clients to ensure all deliverables are of the highest quality.
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