Using Virtual Reality Techniques to Alleviate Cognitive Fatigue in Graduate Students Working while in College

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the possibility of using virtual reality (VR) techniques to reduce cognitive fatigue (CF) in graduate students who work while in college.Methods: A set of questionnaires standardised in Russia was used to assess CF and performance.The participants completed a VR program using a head-mounted VR headset.One stimulating and one relaxing scene, each lasting maximum 10 minutes, were played.The participants included 62 women and 24 men aged 22-53 years old who were graduate students studying psychology and pedagogy and working while in college.They participated in the study in the interval between the end of their working day and before the start of their evening classes.Results: After first watching an exciting scene and then a relaxing scene, the participants in the experimental groups reported significant changes in their states relative to the control group.Acute CF, general fatigue, tiredness and monotony decreased.The women in particular reported a decrease in their level of psychological stress.Conversely, after watching a relaxing scene followed by a stimulating scene, men experienced a decrease in acute physical fatigue, tiredness and cravings.Women experienced a decrease in acute mental fatigue, acute physical fatigue, general fatigue and psychological stress.Conclusions: A single immersive VR session experienced in the interval between the end of work and before the start of classes can decrease general fatigue and monotony in humans, as well as reduce acute mental fatigue or physical fatigue (depending on the sequence then a relaxing VR -scene).