Quick answer
Memory and attention activities for adults should ask the person to hold a clear instruction, stay with a task, notice relevant information, manage distractions, or return to the goal after a prompt. Good OT activities are specific, adult-appropriate, easy to grade, and useful to review afterwards.
Examples include finding an object after a short instruction, following a two-step routine, sorting while holding a rule in mind, repeating a task with one change, or completing an everyday sequence while prompts and errors are reviewed.
What memory and attention activities can involve
Activities may ask the person to:
- remember a short instruction
- find the object that matches the instruction
- continue a task after a prompt
- ignore irrelevant objects
- stay with a sequence
- repeat a task with one changed rule
- return to the goal after a distraction
- compare what happened across two attempts
The activity should not reduce memory or attention to a simple score. The useful material is how the person approached the task, what support helped, and what changed when the task was repeated or simplified.
Start with one observable demand
Memory and attention often overlap. A person who does not complete a task may have forgotten the instruction, lost focus, missed a visual cue, become fatigued, or been distracted by irrelevant information. If the task is too broad, it can be hard to know what you are seeing.
A useful starting point is to choose one main demand. For example, you might focus on holding an instruction long enough to find an item, sustaining attention through a short sequence, or returning to a task after a prompt. Once that demand is clear, you can add complexity carefully.
Activity examples
| Activity | What the person does | What can vary |
|---|---|---|
| Remember the target | Finds an item after hearing an instruction | Instruction length, delay, prompts |
| Stay with the rule | Sorts objects using a rule | Rule clarity, distractors, object number |
| Return to task | Continues after a prompt or interruption | Prompt timing, task length |
| Find and compare | Finds one object then compares it with another | Visual load, object similarity |
| Repeat with change | Repeats a task with one altered instruction | Change size, support level |
| Follow a routine | Completes a familiar sequence | Step count, cueing, object placement |
Example: remember, search, choose
A simple activity might ask the person to remember one object, search a scene, and choose it. That could be as concrete as: find the mug, place the teabag beside it, or choose the blue item from a shelf.
At first, the instruction can be short and repeated immediately. The next version might add a brief delay, a similar distractor, or a second object. If the person struggles, you can reduce the visual load, repeat the instruction, or bring the target into a more obvious location.
The review point is not just whether the item was found. You may discuss where the person looked first, whether they held the instruction, whether distractors pulled attention away, and which prompts helped.
Example: complete a routine while holding the next step
Everyday routines create useful memory and attention demands because they ask the person to move from one step to another. A tea-making task, for example, may involve finding the mug, identifying the kettle, selecting the teabag, following the order of steps, and noticing whether something has been missed.
You can simplify by reducing the number of steps. You can increase challenge by adding a second instruction, changing object placement, adding distractors, or asking the person to repeat the routine with one changed detail.
This kind of activity can be useful because the task has a recognisable purpose. The person is not just “doing memory”. They are using memory and attention inside an activity that makes sense.
Therapist review questions
After the activity, you may consider:
- Was the instruction understood?
- Was it remembered long enough for the task?
- Did the person stay with the activity?
- Did visual load affect the task?
- Were distractors selected?
- Did prompts support continuation?
- Did performance change on repetition?
- Did fatigue appear to affect attention over time?
- Should the next activity be shorter or more structured?
These questions are often more useful than a single completion result because they help shape the next session.
How VR and AR can change the task
In VR and AR, memory and attention activities can involve space and interaction. A person may need to remember the target while searching a scene, keep track of a rule while sorting objects, or continue a sequence after looking around.
This can make the activity feel more active than a worksheet or screen task. It can also give you more concrete moments to discuss: the search path, hesitation, object choice, prompt response, and how the person coped when the environment changed.
The spatial element should be used purposefully. A headset-based task is not better because it is immersive. It is better only when the immersive setting gives you activity material that is harder to create with a flat screen or paper worksheet.
Designing memory and attention challenge
Memory and attention demands can be adjusted carefully. You can change:
- the length of the instruction
- the delay before action
- the number of objects
- the amount of visual clutter
- whether distractors are similar
- how often prompts are offered
- whether the task repeats or changes
- whether the activity is seated or standing
- whether the person must choose, sort, place, or sequence objects
The aim is not to create a trick task. The aim is to create a clear activity where you can see how the person approaches the demand.
Signs the task may need simplifying
You may simplify if:
- the instruction is not understood
- the person cannot start the task
- distractors overwhelm the activity
- repeated prompts are needed immediately
- the person becomes frustrated or fatigued
- the headset or controller use becomes the main difficulty
- there is no useful review point because the task was too unclear
Simplifying is not a failure. It is part of therapist-led activity use. A shorter, clearer activity often gives better information than a task that tries to test too much at once.
How CorteXR Studio fits
CorteXR Studio includes immersive activities that can involve memory, attention, visual search, sequencing, sorting, prompts, and activity review.
Studio does not diagnose, assess, monitor, treat, or measure memory or attention. It provides structured activity material for therapist-led sessions, with review information that can support discussion and professional judgement.
For more activity categories, see the Studio activity library.
Related Studio resources
- Functional cognition activities for OTs
- Visual search activities for adults
- Sequencing and planning activities for adults
- VR occupational therapy activities
FAQ
What are memory and attention activities?
They are activities that ask the person to hold instructions, stay with a task, notice relevant information, manage distractors, or return to a goal.
Why use VR or AR for these activities?
VR and AR can make the activity spatial and interactive, with objects, scenes, prompts, and repeatable task variation. That can create clearer moments for observation and review.
Can these activities be graded?
They can often be varied through instruction length, prompts, delay, visual load, object number, task complexity, and whether the activity repeats or changes.
Does Studio treat memory or attention difficulties?
No. Studio is activity software for therapist-led sessions. It does not provide treatment, diagnosis, assessment, monitoring, or outcome measurement.
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Explore Studio activities for memory, attention, and task behaviour.
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Studio note: CorteXR Studio is non-medical activity software for therapist-led sessions. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, monitor, prevent, or alleviate any disease, injury, or impairment.