Virtual Morris Water Maze
Measures that travel well
A virtual maze hands you near-perfect position data. It would be a shame to boil all of that down to time to goal.
| Measure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Latency, path length | Overall improvement, though not how it happened |
| Heading error | Whether the very first move points at the goal |
| Path efficiency ratio | Directness: actual path over the direct one |
| Proximity (Gallagher) | Average closeness to the goal; sturdy in probes |
| Time near the goal | How precise the search is |
| Thigmotaxis | Wall-hugging, common in anxious or disoriented participants |
| Time slices | Strategy changes within a single trial |
| Facing direction | Where the person looked, something only VR can give you |
Speed in VR depends heavily on the controls, so always report it. In walking VR, use active speed rather than a raw average that includes standing still.