Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Yee, J.; Matheson, H.; Bogie, B. J. M.; Perron, É. D.; Thérond, A.; Charest, M.; Driel, C.; Goyette, M.; Lei, Y. T.; Noël, C.; Ariaratnam, K.; Collins, G.; Gorman, C.; Cretu, A. -M.; Tremblay, S.; Rivard, M. -C.; Cullwick, C.; Morris, C.; Attwood, D. G.; Baines, A.; Stewart, A.; Bouchard, S.; Bowie, C. R.; Guimond, S.
Cognitive Remediation for Psychosis in Virtual Reality (ThinkTactic VR): Qualitative, Iterative, and User-Centered Codevelopment Study Journal Article
In: JMIR Mental Health, vol. 12, 2025, ISSN: 23687959 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, clinical article, cognitive defect, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognitive remediation, Cognitive remediation therapy, community functioning, health care personnel, human, neurocognition, patient engagement, program development, psychosis, qualitative research, social cognition, user-centered approach, user-centered design, virtual reality
@article{yee_cognitive_2025,
title = {Cognitive Remediation for Psychosis in Virtual Reality (ThinkTactic VR): Qualitative, Iterative, and User-Centered Codevelopment Study},
author = {J. Yee and H. Matheson and B. J. M. Bogie and É. D. Perron and A. Thérond and M. Charest and C. Driel and M. Goyette and Y. T. Lei and C. Noël and K. Ariaratnam and G. Collins and C. Gorman and A. -M. Cretu and S. Tremblay and M. -C. Rivard and C. Cullwick and C. Morris and D. G. Attwood and A. Baines and A. Stewart and S. Bouchard and C. R. Bowie and S. Guimond},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105013110717&doi=10.2196%2F69359&partnerID=40&md5=c5daaabcfd92d826b28327a5800609ae},
doi = {10.2196/69359},
issn = {23687959 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {JMIR Mental Health},
volume = {12},
abstract = {Background: Cognitive remediation improves cognition and psychosocial functioning in individuals with psychotic disorders. The use of virtual reality (VR) to deliver cognitive remediation in immersive environments that mimic real cognitively challenging situations has the potential to increase engagement to treatment and further enhance its impact on functioning. Objective: We aimed to codevelop a cognitive remediation program in VR with individuals with psychotic disorders and health care professionals to identify and address their needs. Methods: Individuals with lived experience of a psychosis-spectrum condition (n=11) met 9 times and the health care professionals (n=7) met 3 times. Participants discussed personal and professional opinions on the challenges associated with cognitive difficulties in individuals with psychotic disorders. They also provided feedback on the program development. Results: We discerned 4 themes from the content expert working groups: the need for a program to address cognitive impairments, the key program design elements to support cognitive rehabilitation, the importance of leveraging technology as an intervention tool, and the need to improve community functioning. In total, 3 themes were identified for the health care professionals: the need for a clinically relevant program that addresses the research-to-practice gap, the need to improve patient engagement in services, and the need for a program that addresses the limited resources in health care. The needs of our end-user experts were placed at the center of the program development process. When possible, we also integrated their suggestions, like the incorporation of a virtual coach within the immersive environment. Conclusions: Individuals with lived experience and health care professionals have distinct needs, which have informed the co-design of a novel cognitive remediation program in VR, ThinkTactic VR. To our knowledge, ThinkTactic VR is one of the first co-designed and codeveloped cognitive remediation programs in VR using an iterative, user-centered approach involving both individuals with psychotic disorders and health care professionals. ©Jasmin Yee, Hannah Matheson, Bryce J M Bogie, Émilie Du Perron, Alexandra Thérond, Maëlle Charest, Catheleine van Driel, Marika Goyette, Ya Ting Lei, Chelsea Noël, Kagusthan Ariaratnam, Greg Collins, Chris Gorman, Ana-Maria Cretu, Simon Tremblay, Marie-Christine Rivard, Catherine Cullwick, Crystal Morris, David G Attwood, Alexandra Baines, Angela Stewart, Stéphane Bouchard, Christopher R Bowie, Synthia Guimond.},
keywords = {adult, article, clinical article, cognitive defect, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognitive remediation, Cognitive remediation therapy, community functioning, health care personnel, human, neurocognition, patient engagement, program development, psychosis, qualitative research, social cognition, user-centered approach, user-centered design, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Cognitive remediation improves cognition and psychosocial functioning in individuals with psychotic disorders. The use of virtual reality (VR) to deliver cognitive remediation in immersive environments that mimic real cognitively challenging situations has the potential to increase engagement to treatment and further enhance its impact on functioning. Objective: We aimed to codevelop a cognitive remediation program in VR with individuals with psychotic disorders and health care professionals to identify and address their needs. Methods: Individuals with lived experience of a psychosis-spectrum condition (n=11) met 9 times and the health care professionals (n=7) met 3 times. Participants discussed personal and professional opinions on the challenges associated with cognitive difficulties in individuals with psychotic disorders. They also provided feedback on the program development. Results: We discerned 4 themes from the content expert working groups: the need for a program to address cognitive impairments, the key program design elements to support cognitive rehabilitation, the importance of leveraging technology as an intervention tool, and the need to improve community functioning. In total, 3 themes were identified for the health care professionals: the need for a clinically relevant program that addresses the research-to-practice gap, the need to improve patient engagement in services, and the need for a program that addresses the limited resources in health care. The needs of our end-user experts were placed at the center of the program development process. When possible, we also integrated their suggestions, like the incorporation of a virtual coach within the immersive environment. Conclusions: Individuals with lived experience and health care professionals have distinct needs, which have informed the co-design of a novel cognitive remediation program in VR, ThinkTactic VR. To our knowledge, ThinkTactic VR is one of the first co-designed and codeveloped cognitive remediation programs in VR using an iterative, user-centered approach involving both individuals with psychotic disorders and health care professionals. ©Jasmin Yee, Hannah Matheson, Bryce J M Bogie, Émilie Du Perron, Alexandra Thérond, Maëlle Charest, Catheleine van Driel, Marika Goyette, Ya Ting Lei, Chelsea Noël, Kagusthan Ariaratnam, Greg Collins, Chris Gorman, Ana-Maria Cretu, Simon Tremblay, Marie-Christine Rivard, Catherine Cullwick, Crystal Morris, David G Attwood, Alexandra Baines, Angela Stewart, Stéphane Bouchard, Christopher R Bowie, Synthia Guimond.
2.
Jacques, C.; Cloutier, V.; Bouchard, S.
In: Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine, vol. 2018, no. 16, pp. 148–152, 2018, ISSN: 15548716, (Publisher: Interactive Media Institute).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, autism, human, male, pilot study, psychoeducation, social cognition, social competence, social interaction, social interaction test, social learning, social phobia, virtual reality
@article{jacques_decoding_2018,
title = {The “Decoding of social interactions in virtual reality” tasks for autism spectrum people: Development of an intervention protocol and pilot testing},
author = {C. Jacques and V. Cloutier and S. Bouchard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85067871545&partnerID=40&md5=e33888550b28cf41db490b1f1d716097},
issn = {15548716},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine},
volume = {2018},
number = {16},
pages = {148–152},
publisher = {Interactive Media Institute},
abstract = {Virtual reality (VR) could provide an opportunity to engage people with autism in complex social interactions and improve their social skills. Our team developed a psychoeducationl program, named the Decoding Social Interaction Task in VR (DSITinVR), and this pilot study aims at exploring whether people with autism can improve their social cognition with DSITinVR as well as improving their social skills. Three AS adult males without intellectual disability were immersed in a 6-wall CAVE-Like system. Pre-and post-application of the program was assessed by the interviewer, participants and parents to document social decoding, social skills and social anxiety. Following exposition to DSITinVR, participants showed improvement in decoding social interactive situations. However, they showed less change in social skills and social anxiety. Based on the assessment of participants, parents and the interviewer, suggestions for modifying the program are proposed, including more situations dedicated to social-skills teaching, planned practice of skills between sessions, and reframing increase in awareness to avoid sensitization. © 2018, Interactive Media Institute. All rights reserved.},
note = {Publisher: Interactive Media Institute},
keywords = {adult, article, autism, human, male, pilot study, psychoeducation, social cognition, social competence, social interaction, social interaction test, social learning, social phobia, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Virtual reality (VR) could provide an opportunity to engage people with autism in complex social interactions and improve their social skills. Our team developed a psychoeducationl program, named the Decoding Social Interaction Task in VR (DSITinVR), and this pilot study aims at exploring whether people with autism can improve their social cognition with DSITinVR as well as improving their social skills. Three AS adult males without intellectual disability were immersed in a 6-wall CAVE-Like system. Pre-and post-application of the program was assessed by the interviewer, participants and parents to document social decoding, social skills and social anxiety. Following exposition to DSITinVR, participants showed improvement in decoding social interactive situations. However, they showed less change in social skills and social anxiety. Based on the assessment of participants, parents and the interviewer, suggestions for modifying the program are proposed, including more situations dedicated to social-skills teaching, planned practice of skills between sessions, and reframing increase in awareness to avoid sensitization. © 2018, Interactive Media Institute. All rights reserved.