The impact of developmental dyslexia on workplace cognition: Evidence from a virtual reality environment.

Journal article

Smith-Spark, J., Gordon, R. and Jansari, A. S. (2023). The impact of developmental dyslexia on workplace cognition: Evidence from a virtual reality environment. Behaviour & Information Technology. 42 (3), pp. 269-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2152367
AuthorsSmith-Spark, J., Gordon, R. and Jansari, A. S.
Abstract

The cognitive difficulties associated with dyslexia persist into adulthood but insights into their impact in employment settings are lacking. A virtual office environment was used to assess two areas of cognition frequently called upon in the workplace, executive function and prospective memory. Eight adults with dyslexia and 27 adults without dyslexia were tested on a virtual office task. They read a scenario describing their new role in an office and were given tasks to complete. The group with dyslexia performed worse overall. On the individual performance measures, the group with dyslexia scored lower on the selective-thinking and planning measures of executive function and also performed worse on two of the three prospective memory measures, namely event-based and time-based prospective memory. The findings indicate how dyslexia can affect workplace cognition, identifying areas in which support might be needed and highlighting areas of relative strength which might be harnessed.

KeywordsDevelopmental dyslexia; Executive function; Prospective memory; Virtual reality; Workplace cognition
Year2023
JournalBehaviour & Information Technology
Journal citation42 (3), pp. 269-277
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1362-3001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2152367
Web address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2152367
Publication dates
Print17 Jan 2023
Online02 Dec 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted22 Nov 2022
Deposited29 Nov 2022
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Paper published in the ECCE 2022 special issue of Behaviour & Information Technology.

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