Learning movements from a virtual instructor

We examined the effects of perspective (first person versus third person) and immersion (immersive virtual reality versus nonimmersive video screen) on motor learning in order to assess the format of mental action representations. We also evaluated whether these effects were modulated by experience. Experienced dancers and novices practiced line dances by imitating a virtual instructor and then subsequently had to perform the dances from memory without an instructor present, following a delay. Accuracy for both practice and test trials was video coded. First person perspective formats led to better accuracy, immersive formats did not lead to better accuracy, and experienced dancers were more accurate than novices, but format did not interact with experience. These results suggest that during learning, individuals across experience levels represent complex actions in first person perspective, and that virtual instruction does not require immersion to be effective. Key Words: Motor learning, action representation, immersive virtual reality, imitation, perspectiv

HP Windows Mixed Reality vs Meta 2: Investigating Differences in Workload and Usability for a Ball-sorting Task

Perceived workload and usability are crucial components of human-computer interactions. Currently, there is a gap in research comparing Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) systems for workload and usability. This study attempts to bridge that gap through the comparison of the HP Windows Mixed Reality system and the Meta 2 system for a ball-sorting task. Subjective questionnaires on workload and usability were implemented as comparative measures for three game scenarios of increasing difficulty. Forty-one participants were recruited from the University of Central Florida and its surrounding communities. Results showed significantly lower cumulative total workload and greater usability (for the subscale of ease of use) for the HP Windows Mixed Reality system when compared to the Meta 2 system. There were no statistically significant differences reported for the other usability subscales between the two systems. Also, there were no statistically significant differences in total workload within the three scenarios for both systems. The findings could be attributed to differences in control schemes (i.e., native handheld controllers versus hand gestures), user experience with AR and VR systems, and difficulty of task scenarios

Proposing immersive virtual reality scenarios for validating verbal content analysis methods in adult samples

Verbal content analyses to differentiate truthful and fabricated statements, such as the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), are used in lie detection research as well as in practice to assess the credibility of statements in criminal court proceedings. Meta-analyses demonstrate validity of verbal content analyses above chance, but the traditional research paradigms usually lack either ecological or internal validity. The authors discuss the usage of immersive virtual reality scenarios to solve this dilemma, as both types of validity can be increased by this approach. In this integrative review of existing literature on the current use of virtual scenarios in forensic and victimology research, the authors extract strengths and limitations for possible VR studies in the context of verbal content analysis. Furthermore, novel ethical challenges involved are summarized and implications for future studies proposed. Overall, we argue in favor of using virtual reality scenarios to validate methods for verbal content analysis, but also urge to consider ethical limitations regarding unwanted short- and long-term aftereffects