The Psychology of Virtual Reality

Virtual reality

An immersive multimedia experienceGamesTraining in a simulatorExploration of environmentsRemote control/ roboticsTherapy (many other potential applications as well)

Virtual Reality

Three fundamental ideas (da Costa et al.) Immersion InteractionPresence

Virtual reality

Immersive computer graphics, contingent on user’s behavior

Head-mounted display (often) Synchronized sounds (usually) Synchronized proprioceptive feedback

(sometimes: motion, tactile output) Moving air; smells (rarely)

Readings

Virtual city for cognitive rehabilitation Overcoming phobias by virtual

exposure Virtual reality treatment in acrophobia:

A comparison with exposure in vivo Exploratory design and evaluation of a

user interface for virtual reality exposure therapy

VR Education & Rehabilitation

By Inman, Loge, & Leavens

Goal: to train disabled children to use motorized wheelchairs

Problems

Achieving realistic crashes Achieving realistic stops and starts Limitations in resolution - tradeoff

between speed and realism Motivation problems

(learned helplessness)

3 training scenarios:

Simple world with no obstacles Interesting, grassy place with objects

and places to get stuck in Traffic intersection

Other applications of VR

Cognitive rehabilitation http://www.icdvrat.reading.ac.uk/2000/papers/2000_38.pdf

Overcoming phobias http://www.do2learn.com/aboutus/research/phobia.htm

Training (pilots, soldiers, astronauts, first responders, etc.)

Human factors issues:

What can go wrong with virtual reality?

Simulator Sickness (Schroder)A feeling of sickness resulting from

exposure to a computer-generated space.

the part inherent to the stimulus itself, present even if the simulation were a perfect representation of the real world

the part that results from an imperfect simulation, for instance due to lag, poor inter-ocular adjust, poor resolution, etc

Simulator Sickness

Types of symptom: Nausea Oculomotor Disorientation

Simulator Sickness Questionnairehttp://www.hitl.washington.edu/publications/r-9811/node135.html

Fatigue Headache Eyestrain Difficulty

focusing Increased

salivation Difficulty

concentrating

Fullness of head Blurred vision Dizziness Vertigo Stomach awarenesss Burping

Rate for severity: none, slight, moderate, severe

Relative severity of symptoms:Disorientation, Nausea, Oculomotor

Virtual environments: D>N>O

Space sickness: O>D>N

Simulator sickness: O>N>D

Sea/airsickness: N>D>O

Virtual environment (e.g., head-mounted display) scores tend to be higher and reported by more users.

Adapting to Virtual Environments

People do adapt (become less sick) But they must re-adapt upon returning

to the “real world” To what extent do aftereffects go away?

Postural stability, hand-eye coordination, visual functioning

User initiated control

Active motion is better than being a passive observer in VE

But moving about with no constraints can be overwhelming also

Coupled control minimizes cybersickness - task constrains motion

Allow users several sessions to adjust

Health and safety issues (Viire)

Visual changes are temporary in adults Alignment is critical for stereo images Focus is constant in stereoscopic HMD,

whereas it shifts in a real environment How should an object look when you get

close to it?

Other dangers

Loud sounds (well understood) Injury due to not seeing real environment Flicker vertigo or migraine Psychological: If VR can have positive

effects (helping with phobias), it can probably desensitize people to other things also (such as violence).

Conclusions: Virtual Realty Useful for training in dangerous environments or

for learning in infeasible environments Can be used to systematically desensitize

phobias Can be used in rehabilitation (but beware of cybersickness!)

adjust gradually w/ breaks warn of possible effects give user control of motion constrain environment

The Cutting Edge Virtual Human Interaction Lab

Avatar IdentityTransformed Social InteractionHaptic CommunicationMassively Multiplayer Online GamingEyewitness Testimony & Police Lineups

VirtuSphere http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/

2006/0409-the_new_virtual_reality.htm