Development and Validation of Public Speaking Performance Instruments based on Rasch Model

This study aims to see the ability of students' public speaking performance, so that the development and validation of the instrument is carried out for the evaluation of the learning. This type of research is quantitative through a survey of 976 students of communication study programs at universities in the DKI Jakarta area. The results show that the instrument developed from the modification of 43 items to 33 items has met the psychometric validity requirements with Rasch modeling. The monotonic is fulfilled by each item on the public speaking instrument through the Andrich Threshold criteria, so that the instrument with the developed response scale does not provide answers that are confusing to respond

Virtual Reality Treatment for Public Speaking Anxiety in Students. Advancements and Results in Personalized Medicine

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a common phobia in the student population. Traditionally, exposure therapy has been used as a treatment. However, the use of virtual reality (VR) is increasingly common to treat PSA. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the published scientific literature on VR as a treatment for PSA in students. The articles indexed in two databases (Web of Science and Scopus) were analyzed, with a time period from the beginning of the first publications until 2019 included. The systematic literature review was based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 13 studies were identified which included 481 students. The results collected indicate that the duration of treatments to have positive effects was at least one week, where the number of sessions was between one and twelve. Furthermore, most VR treatments reported positive effects. Finally, this study showed evidence that VR treatment for PSA is effective while being less invasive than in vivo exposure.Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Government of Spain (Project reference: FPU16/01762)

Perception of avatar attitudes in Virtual Reality

peer reviewe

Moderators of social facilitation effect in virtual reality : co-presence and realism of virtual agents

Social facilitation has been researched for decades, but in the face of the development of virtual reality technology, new questions arise regarding the possibility of its occurrence in this environment - in the presence of computer-generated agents. Past research provided inconclusive answers: several experiments confirmed this possibility, but several others disagreed. On the other hand, previous studies have shown the important role of VR characteristics, such as realism or co-presence, in evoking other psychological phenomena. However, no study has investigated the interplay between the presence of computer-generated agents and perceived social realism in evoking social facilitation in virtual reality. To this end, the present randomized control study was conducted. The sample consisted of professional firefighters (N = 48), divided into an experimental group with virtual bystanders and a control group without them. Subjects were instructed to perform a rescue procedure in a virtual reality headset. The performance of participants was logged and they completed questionnaires regarding sense of presence in the virtual environment, perceived realism of the environment and perceived co-presence of virtual agents. The obtained results confirmed the role of social realism as a moderator of the occurrence of social facilitation in the presence of computer-generated agents. At the same time, the main effect of facilitation was not confirmed. These results support predictions that the subjective feeling of being in a realistic company of others may be more important in evoking social facilitation than objective facts. Furthermore, the results contribute to the debate regarding the mechanism of social facilitation, suggesting that simple augmentation of the environment with social distractors is not always enough, thus questioning the attentional explanation of the effect. Taken together, our results extend previous findings on social facilitation and open up new possibilities for designing effective virtual environments

Capítulo 2 - Laboratorio de realidad mixta para operaciones aeroportuarias en aerolíneas

El transporte aéreo se ha convertido en un facilitador económico de gran importancia para todos los países y una de las principales fuentes de empleo en todo el mundo, por lo que se requiere que los profesionales de la industria aeronáutica desarrollen competencias y habilidades tanto operativas como administrativas que permitan desempeñarse efectiva y eficientemente en el sector. Con el fin de ofrecer una formación que acerque aún más a los estudiantes a la realidad de la industria, se desarrolló un Laboratorio de Realidad Mixta para el programa de Tecnología en Gestión de Servicios para Aerolíneas, que busca que los estudiantes afiancen los conocimientos teóricos adquiridos en el aula y los complementen con una práctica apoyada en las nuevas tecnologías, que permitan combinar el entorno real con el mundo virtual facilitando así la apropiación del conocimiento y generar soluciones o propuestas que aporten al progreso socioeconómico de la industria aérea en el país

Virtual Reality Training for Public Speaking—A QUEST-VR Framework Validation

Good public speaking skills are essential in many professions as well as everyday life, but speech anxiety is a common problem. While it is established that public speaking training in virtual reality (VR) is effective, comprehensive studies on the underlying factors that contribute to this success are rare. The “quality evaluation of user-system interaction in virtual reality” framework for evaluation of VR applications is presented that includes system features, user factors, and moderating variables. Based on this framework, variables that are postulated to influence the quality of a public speaking training application were selected for a first validation study. In a cross-sectional, repeated measures laboratory study [N = 36 undergraduate students; 36% men, 64% women, mean age = 26.42 years (SD = 3.42)], the effects of task difficulty (independent variable), ability to concentrate, fear of public speaking, and social presence (covariates) on public speaking performance (dependent variable) in a virtual training scenario were analyzed, using stereoscopic visualization on a screen. The results indicate that the covariates moderate the effect of task difficulty on speech performance, turning it into a non-significant effect. Further interrelations are explored. The presenter’s reaction to the virtual agents in the audience shows a tendency of overlap of explained variance with task difficulty. This underlines the need for more studies dedicated to the interaction of contributing factors for determining the quality of VR public speaking applications

A Systematic Review of Social Presence: Definition, Antecedents, and Implications

Social presence, or the feeling of being there with a “real” person, is a crucial component of interactions that take place in virtual reality. This paper reviews the concept, antecedents, and implications of social presence, with a focus on the literature regarding the predictors of social presence. The article begins by exploring the concept of social presence, distinguishing it from two other dimensions of presence—telepresence and self-presence. After establishing the definition of social presence, the article offers a systematic review of 233 separate findings identified from 152 studies that investigate the factors (i.e., immersive qualities, contextual differences, and individual psychological traits) that predict social presence. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of heightened social presence and when it does and does not enhance one's experience in a virtual environment

Development and evaluation of an interactive virtual audience for a public speaking training application

Einleitung: Eine der häufigsten sozialen Ängste ist die Angst vor öffentlichem Sprechen. Virtual-Reality- (VR-) Trainingsanwendungen sind ein vielversprechendes Instrument, um die Sprechangst zu reduzieren und die individuellen Sprachfähigkeiten zu verbessern. Grundvoraussetzung hierfür ist die Implementierung eines realistischen und interaktiven Sprecher-Publikum-Verhaltens. Ziel: Die Studie zielte darauf ab, ein realistisches und interaktives Publikum für eine VR-Anwendung zu entwickeln und zu bewerten, welches für die Trainingsanwendung von öffentlichem Sprechen angewendet wird. Zunächst wurde eine Beobachtungsstudie zu den Verhaltensmustern von Sprecher und Publikum durchgeführt. Anschließend wurden die identifizierten Muster in eine VR-Anwendung implementiert. Die Wahrnehmung der implementierten Interaktionsmuster wurde in einer weiteren Studie aus Sicht der Nutzer evaluiert. Beobachtungsstudie (1): Aufgrund der nicht ausreichenden Datengrundlage zum realen interaktiven Verhalten zwischen Sprecher und Publikum lautet die erste Forschungsfrage "Welche Sprecher-Publikums-Interaktionsmuster können im realen Umfeld identifiziert werden?". Es wurde eine strukturierte, nicht teilnehmende, offene Beobachtungsstudie durchgeführt. Ein reales Publikum wurde auf Video aufgezeichnet und die Inhalte analysiert. Die Stichprobe ergab N = 6484 beobachtete Interaktionsmuster. Es wurde festgestellt, dass Sprecher mehr Dialoge als das Publikum initiieren und wie die Zuschauer auf Gesichtsausdrücke und Gesten der Sprecher reagieren. Implementierungsstudie (2): Um effiziente Wege zur Implementierung der Ergebnisse der Beobachtungsstudie in die Trainingsanwendung zu finden, wurde die Forschungsfrage wie folgt formuliert: "Wie können Interaktionsmuster zwischen Sprecher und Publikum in eine virtuelle Anwendung implementiert werden?". Das Hardware-Setup bestand aus einer CAVE, Infitec-Brille und einem ART Head-Tracking. Die Software wurde mit 3D-Excite RTT DeltaGen 12.2 realisiert. Zur Beantwortung der zweiten Forschungsfrage wurden mehrere mögliche technische Lösungen systematisch untersucht, bis effiziente Lösungen gefunden wurden. Infolgedessen wurden die selbst erstellte Audioerkennung, die Kinect-Bewegungserkennung, die Affectiva-Gesichtserkennung und die selbst erstellten Fragen implementiert, um das interaktive Verhalten des Publikums in der Trainingsanwendung für öffentliches Sprechen zu realisieren. Evaluationsstudie (3): Um herauszufinden, ob die Implementierung interaktiver Verhaltensmuster den Erwartungen der Benutzer entsprach, wurde die dritte Forschungsfrage folgendermaßen formuliert: “Wie beeinflusst die Interaktivität einer virtuellen Anwendung für öffentliches Reden die Benutzererfahrung?”. Eine experimentelle Benutzer-Querschnittsstudie wurde mit N = 57 Teilnehmerinnen (65% Männer, 35% Frauen; Durchschnittsalter = 25.98, SD = 4.68) durchgeführt, die entweder der interaktiven oder nicht-interaktiven VR-Anwendung zugewiesen wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass, es einen signifikanten Unterschied in der Wahrnehmung zwischen den beiden Anwendungen gab. Allgemeine Schlussfolgerungen: Interaktionsmuster zwischen Sprecher und Publikum, die im wirklichen Leben beobachtet werden können, wurden in eine VR-Anwendung integriert, die Menschen dabei hilft, Angst vor dem öffentlichen Sprechen zu überwinden und ihre öffentlichen Sprechfähigkeiten zu trainieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten eine hohe Relevanz der VR-Anwendungen für die Simulation öffentlichen Sprechens. Obwohl die Fragen des Publikums manuell gesteuert wurden, konnte das neu gestaltete Publikum mit den Versuchspersonen interagieren. Die vorgestellte VR-Anwendung zeigt daher einen hohen potenziellen Nutzen, Menschen beim Trainieren von Sprechfähigkeiten zu unterstützen. Die Fragen des Publikums wurden immer noch manuell von einem Bediener reguliert und die Studie wurde mit Teilnehmern durchgeführt, die nicht unter einem hohen Grad an Angst vor öffentlichem Sprechen leiden. Bei zukünftigen Studien sollten fortschrittlichere Technologien eingesetzt werden, beispielsweise Spracherkennung, 3D-Aufzeichnungen oder 3D-Livestreams einer realen Person und auch Teilnehmer mit einem hohen Grad an Angst vor öffentlichen Ansprachen beziehungsweise Sprechen in der Öffentlichkeit.Introduction: Fear of public speaking is the most common social fear. Virtual reality (VR) training applications are a promising tool to improve public speaking skills. To be successful, applications should feature a high scenario fidelity. One way to improve it is to implement realistic speaker-audience interactive behavior. Objective: The study aimed to develop and evaluate a realistic and interactive audience for a VR public speaking training application. First, an observation study on real speaker-audience interactive behavior patterns was conducted. Second, identified patterns were implemented in the VR application. Finally, an evaluation study identified users’ perceptions of the training application. Observation Study (1): Because of the lack of data on real speaker-audience interactive behavior, the first research question to be answered was “What speaker-audience interaction patterns can be identified in real life?”. A structured, non-participant, overt observation study was conducted. A real audience was video recorded, and content analyzed. The sample resulted in N = 6,484 observed interaction patterns. It was found that speakers, more often than audience members, initiate dialogues and how audience members react to speakers’ facial expressions and gestures. Implementation Study (2): To find efficient ways of implementing the results of the observation study in the training application, the second research question was formulated as: “How can speaker-audience interaction patterns be implemented into the virtual public speaking application?”. The hardware setup comprised a CAVE, Infitec glasses, and ART head tracking. The software was realized with 3D-Excite RTT DeltaGen 12.2. To answer the second research question, several possible technical solutions were explored systematically, until efficient solutions were found. As a result, self-created audio recognition, Kinect motion recognition, Affectiva facial recognition, and manual question generation were implemented to provide interactive audience behavior in the public speaking training application. Evaluation Study (3): To find out if implementing interactive behavior patterns met users’ expectations, the third research question was formulated as “How does interactivity of a virtual public speaking application affect user experience?”. An experimental, cross-sectional user study was conducted with (N = 57) participants (65% men, 35% women; Mage = 25.98, SD = 4.68) who used either an interactive or a non-interactive VR application condition. Results revealed that there was a significant difference in users’ perception of the two conditions. General Conclusions: Speaker-audience interaction patterns that can be observed in real life were incorporated into a VR application that helps people to overcome the fear of public speaking and train their public speaking skills. The findings showed a high relevance of interactivity for VR public speaking applications. Although questions from the audience were still regulated manually, the newly designed audience could interact with the speakers. Thus, the presented VR application is of potential value in helping people to train their public speaking skills. The questions from the audience were still regulated manually by an operator and we conducted the study with participants not suffering from high degrees of public speaking fear. Future work may use more advanced technology, such as speech recognition, 3D-records, or live 3D-streams of an actual person and include participants with high degrees of public speaking fear