Chapter 20 - Psychological Applications of Virtual Reality

Chapter Summary

VR equipment

• Many types of display and interaction technologies are used in virtual reality (VR).
• These induce three-dimensional viewing.
• The most common device is a Head Mounted Display (HMD).

Head Mounted Displays

• These are relatively lightweight headsets.
• They may use a computer or a smartphone to run the virtual world.
• Researchers and therapists may utilise other equipment to monitor what the user is viewing and/or their physiological reactions.

Other VR equipment

• While HMDs are one of the most common VR devices, there are others.
• These include projection-based systems where users are often required to wear special sets of glasses to maintain three-dimensional viewing.
• The VR equipment should also replicate three-dimensional sound.
• Other senses can be presented in virtual worlds, but have received less attention.
• A cheaper alternative to datagloves includes tactile augmentation – the use of real objects to re-create the touch sensation which would be experienced in a virtual world.
• Users control the virtual world through a variety of interface devices, including ‘wands’ and other control systems.
• Users may experience a form of motion sickness called cybersickness while in virtual worlds.

Augmented reality

• Augmented reality (AR) is the use of virtual objects to supplement a real scene.
• There are several applications of this.
• AR has been used in the treatment of phantom limb pain and small animal phobias.

Presence

• Presence is the extent to which a person allows him- or herself to be convinced that they are somewhere other than their actual physical location.
• It is seen in VR experiences, but also other experiences such as watching movies.
• Lombard and Ditton (1997) suggest that to experience presence, the user needs to have ‘an illusion that [the] mediated experience is not mediated’ (para. 1).
• Presence may be disrupted by external distractions, cybersickness, lag, or other factors.
• Presence is necessary for many of the psychological applications of VR to be effective.

VR as a treatment tool

• VR has been used in the treatment of several conditions, including anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders

• For anxiety disorders such as phobias and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), virtual environments can elicit anxiety responses in clients undergoing exposure therapy.
• Such ‘in-virtuo’ exposure can be more effective than ‘imaginal’ exposure, and clients may prefer it to ‘in-vivo’ exposure.
• The virtual world is an adjunct to traditional therapeutic approaches; it is not used instead of them. The presence of the therapist is still vital.
• VR therapies have also been used for other anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Addictions and eating disorders

• VR exposure therapy can also be used to help clients with substance addictions or eating disorders.
• The client is exposed to cues related to their condition in virtual worlds, and are then provided with techniques for managing and resisting their cravings.
• The virtual world must first be shown to induce cravings in the individual and, if successful, can then be used to treat the condition.

VR as a diagnostic tool: paranoia and ADHD

• VR can help to diagnose a condition if feelings of persecution or paranoia are present in an individual.
• Virtual worlds can be designed with several computer-controlled agents, and a user’s response to ambiguous behaviours by these agents might be indicative if they hold paranoid tendencies.
• Similarly, the use of a virtual classroom with distracting elements can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

VR as pain management

• Psychological factors such as distraction can affect our perception of pain. This was noted by Melzach and Wall (1967) in a model known as the Gate Control Theory of Pain.
• Various virtual worlds such as the ‘Enchanted Forest’ and ‘SnowWorld’ have been used to distract clients from pain.
• VR has also been used as a time distractor for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Virtual reality in psychological research

• Virtual reality allows for precise control of stimuli in perception research.
• It may also be used in social psychological research.
• Yee and Bailenson (2007) noted that user behaviour altered depending on their digital self-representation, terming this the ‘Proteus Effect’.