People screened for ADHD laid bricks faster in VR with a partner
HelpedThe short version
People laid bricks faster in a short virtual task with a human or AI partner there than alone.
- 12
- people screened for ADHD
- Recorded
- behaviour was recorded
- 1 tool
- tested
The study
Who took part
12 people screened for ADHD. It is unclear whether they had a diagnosis.
What they did
Each person laid bricks in a virtual world for 20 minutes, three times. Once they were alone, once with a human avatar, and once with an 'AI' avatar. A researcher was really in charge of the 'AI' avatar.
What happened
People laid about 9 bricks a minute alone, against about 11 with either partner. Accuracy was the same in all three. People said they felt more focused with a partner.
What the study found
- Helped
People laid bricks faster in a short virtual task with a human or AI partner there than alone.
Very small trial of 12 people screened for ADHD · vs the same people working alone · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists
How solid is this?
- Behaviour was recorded
- Very small group
- Not yet checked by other scientists
Source
You are not alone: designing body doubling for ADHD in VR (2025)
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2509.12153 (opens in a new tab)
