f3d04a68-f48f-4cf3-9786-490c0e59200820250521090148746wseas:wseasmdt@crossref.orgMDT DepositWSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS2224-34021790-083210.37394/23209http://wseas.org/wseas/cms.action?id=40461720251720252210.37394/23209.2025.22https://wseas.com/journals/isa/2025.phpJackClarkCollege of Information Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, USALilaBozCollege of Information Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, USAVirtual reality (VR) has been increasingly used within training contexts. It is important to understand how users are affected by various distractions for designing more effective learning experiences in VR. In this paper, we explored how visual (i.e., virtual balls bouncing across the user’s field of view) and auditory (i.e., pure-tone click train sounds) distractors affect perceived cognitive load and the relation to cognitive alertness. 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