Training Counselors Using Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to expand experiential learning opportunities in counselor education. This article discusses how semi- and immersive VR can provide students a diverse range of experiences to increase both counseling skill and empathy development for clients with a myriad of identities, diagnoses, and presenting counseling issues. Suggestions and implications for counselor education are discussed

Social environments and mental health:Exploring new worlds with virtual reality

With virtual reality (VR) glasses, you can enter a completely different world within seconds. Computer-generated VR simulations of real-like environments can trigger psychological and physical reactions, such as anxiety, sweating or joy, similar to the reactions in real life. This characteristic of VR simulations - feeling real- makes VR a powerful tool for assessment, therapies and research in mental healthcare. With this thesis, we experimentally investigated how people behave in VR environments. We found that people with and without a vulnerability for psychosis maintain similar interpersonal distance to other visitors in a virtual café. Further, we found that emotion recognition in faces of VR simulated people and real people is very similar. This finding supports that virtual emotional stimuli – i.e., emotions on virtual faces - are suitable for research and training of emotion recognition skills.Next, the effects of a novel VR cognitive behavioral therapy (VR-CBT) were investigated in patients with a psychotic disorder and patients with a generalized anxiety disorder. During VR-CBT patients practice within virtual environments which they tend to avoid in the real world. They could practice in a VR bar, streets, bus and supermarket environment. VR environments were personalized by the therapist to fit the specific needs of the patient. The VR-CBT intervention was effective in reducing paranoia as well as social anxiety in everyday life. Currently, several mental health care institutes in the Netherlands are offering VR-CBT as a treatment

Experiencing an elongated limb in virtual reality modifies the tactile distance perception of the corresponding real limb

In measurement, a reference frame is needed to compare the measured object to something already known. This raises the neuroscientific question of which reference frame is used by humans when exploring the environment. Previous studies suggested that, in touch, the body employed as measuring tool also serves as reference frame. Indeed, an artificial modification of the perceived dimensions of the body changes the tactile perception of external object dimensions. However, it is unknown if such a change in tactile perception would occur when the body schema is modified through the illusion of owning an limb altered in size. Therefore, employing a virtual hand illusion paradigm with an elongated forearm of different lengths, we systematically tested the subjective perception of distance between two points (tactile distance perception task, TDP task) on the corresponding real forearm following the illusion. Thus, TDP task is used as a proxy to gauge changes in the body schema. Embodiment of the virtual arm was found significantly greater after the synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation condition compared to the asynchronous one, and the forearm elongation significantly increased the TDP. However, we did not find any link between the visuo-tactile induced ownership over the elongated arm and TDP variation, suggesting that vision plays the main role in the modification of the body schema. Additionally, significant effect of elongation found on TDP but not on proprioception suggests that these are affected differently by body schema modifications. These findings confirm the body schema malleability and its role as reference frame in touch

MODELLING OF COLLECTIVE MOVEMENT IN IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Immersive technologies allow us to map physical reality by means of 4D virtual systems in ever higher spatial and temporal detail, up to a scale level of 1 : 1. This level of detail enables the representation of phenomena that have been widely ignored by the geovisualization research agenda as yet. An example for such a large scale phenomenon is the collective movement of animals, which can be modelled and visualized only at a fine grained spatio-temporal resolution. This paper focuses on how collective movement can be modelled in an immersive virtual reality (VR) geovisualization. In a brief introduction on immersion and spatial presence we will argue, that high fidelity and realistic VR can strengthen the users’ involvement with the issues visualized. We will then discuss basic characteristics of swarming in nature and review the principal models that have been presented to formalize this collective behavior. Based on the rules of (1) collision avoidance, (2) polarization, (3) aggregation and (4) self-organized criticality we will formulate a viable solution of modelling collective movement within a geovisualization immersive virtual environment. An example of use and results will be presented

El impacto de los medios visuales en el concepto cognitivo social: el caso del objeto cultural de Ru (Corea)

[EN] There have been very few studies explaining the theoretica l basis on the importance of visible cultural heritage. This study provides the philosophical background of this topic based on a phenomenological point of view andexplains the significant impact on social members’ cognition. The case of Ru, one of the traditional Korean building types, is introduced as a representative example; how its concept has been defined, changed, and forgotten in Korean culture. The importance of having a correct understanding of how cognition is composed of different types of experiences of cultural heritage is further explained. In this context, the importance of semantic mode and pictorial mode classified by Husserl is argued as the most powerful medium in human cognition based on phenomenological analysis. In this respect, the important role of Virtual Reality (VR) was highlighted. Considering the pace of recent technology and researches, breaking the barrier between experiencing the physical object and the VR may be a matter of time. Phenomenological classification of cultural heritage, which was designed for explaining all the types of cultural heritage, is introduced. The importance of developing a valid VR model and its role in cultural studies is emphasized via the phenomenological classification of cultural heritage. Finally, the balance of the inductive and deductive approach in a cultural study is suggested for more prolific and balanced achievements. Highlights:This article provides the philosophical background of the importance of visible cultural heritage based on the phenomenological point of view.Significant impact on social members’ cognition of the visible cultural heritage is discussed in the case of the traditional Korean building.In this respect, the important role of Virtual Reality technology is highlighted.[ES] Se han realizado muy pocos estudios que expliquen las bases teóricas sobre la importancia del patrimonio cultural visible. Este estudio proporciona los antecedentes filosóficos de este tema basado en el punto de vista fenomenológico y explica el impacto significativo en el conocimiento de los miembros sociales. El caso de Ru, uno de los tipos de construcción tradicional coreana, se presenta como un ejemplo representativo de cómo su concepto ha sido definido, cambiado y olvidado en la cultura coreana. La importancia de tener una comprensión correcta de cómo el conocimiento está compuesto de diferentes tipos de experiencias de patrimonio cultural se explica con más detalle. En este contexto, la importancia del modo semántico y el modo pictórico clasificados por Husserl se argumenta como el medio más poderoso en el conocimiento humano basado en el análisis fenomenológico. En este sentido, se destaca el papel fundamental de la realidad virtual (RV). Si tenemos en cuenta el ritmo de progreso reciente en tecnología e investigación, romper la barrera entre experimentar el objeto físico y la RV puede ser una cuestión de tiempo. Se introduce la clasificación fenomenológica del patrimonio cultural, que fue diseñada para explicar todos los tipos de patrimonio cultural. La importancia de desarrollar un modelo de RV válido y su papel en los estudios culturales se enfatiza a través de la clasificación fenomenológica del patrimonio cultural. Finalmente, se sugiere el equilibrio del enfoque inductivo y deductivo en el estudio cultural para lograr logros más prolíficos y equilibrados.Lee, H. (2019). The impact of visual media on social cognitive concept: The case of cultural object Ru (Korea). Virtual Archaeology Review. 10(21):80-89. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2019.11242SWORD80891021Bailey, J. O., Bailenson, J. N., & Casasanto, D. (2016). When Does Virtual Embodiment Change Our Minds?, Presence, 25(3), 222-233.Chae, S. Y. (2010). Philosophy notion word dictionary. Soulmate Press. Seoul, Korea.Ch'ng, E. (2012). New ways of accessing information spaces using 3D multitouch tables. Proceedings of the Art, Design and Virtual Worlds Conference, Cyberworlds (CW), 2012 International Conference on, 144-150Ch'ng, E., Cai, Y., & Thwaites, H. (2017). Special Issue on VR for Culture and Heritage: The Experience of Cultural Heritage with Virtual Reality, Presence, 26(3), iii-vi.Chung, N., Lee, H., Kim, J-Y., & Koo, C. (2018). The Role of Augmented Reality for Experience-Influenced Environments: The Case of Cultural Heritage Tourism in Korea, Journal of Travel Research, 57(5), 627-643. https://doi.org/10.1177/004728751778255Duex V. (2002). Modern Thought. Kaemagowon Press. Goyang-si, Korea.Gallagher, S., & Zahavi, D. (2008). The Phenomenological Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science. Routledge. New York, U.S.A.Gilbert, S. B. (2016). Perceived Realism of Virtual Environments Depends on Authenticity, Presence, 25(4), 322-324.Heider, F. (1958). The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York: John Wiley.Husserl, E. (2003). Transzendentaler Idealismus. Texte aus dem Nachlass (1908-1921). Husserliana XXXVI. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht, Netherlands.Kim, N. S. (2013). What is seeing? Nermerbooks. Seoul, Korea.Lee, H.J. (2017). Phenomenological classification of cultural heritage: role of virtual reality. Virtual Archaeology Review, 8(16), 69-74. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2017.5962Meyerson, E. M. (1991). Recruitment Procedures and Team Composition. Stockholm: Industrial Institute for Economic and Social Research.Noe, A. (2004). Action in perception. Cambridge, MIT Press. Massachusetts, U.S.A.Park, J. (2010). Static and Genetic Analysis in Husserl's Theory of Evidence, Philosophical ideology, 35, 175-212.Park, J.J. (2013). Climate change in South Korea area during Postmid-Holocene epoch, Journal of Climate Research, 8, 127-142.Wojciech, S. (2012). "Ludwik Fleck", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Zalta, E. N. (ed.), Retrieved January 14, 2019, from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2017/entries/fleck

Immersive Virtual Reality Field Trips Facilitate Learning About Climate Change

Across four studies, two controlled lab experiments and two field studies, we tested the efficacy of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) as an education medium for teaching the consequences of climate change, particularly ocean acidification. Over 270 participants from four different learning settings experienced an immersive underwater world designed to show the process and effects of rising sea water acidity. In all of our investigations, after experiencing immersive VR people demonstrated knowledge gains or inquisitiveness about climate science and in some cases, displayed more positive attitudes toward the environment after comparing pre- and post-test assessments. The analyses also revealed a potential post-hoc mechanism for the learning effects, as the more that people explored the spatial learning environment, the more they demonstrated a change in knowledge about ocean acidification. This work is unique by showing distinct learning gains or an interest in learning across a variety of participants (high school, college students, adults), measures (learning gain scores, tracking data about movement in the virtual world, qualitative responses from classroom teachers), and content (multiple versions varying in length and content about climate change were tested). Our findings explicate the opportunity to use immersive VR for environmental education and to drive information-seeking about important social issues such as climate change

Bodily resonance: Exploring the effects of virtual embodiment on pain modulation and the fostering of empathy toward pain sufferers

Globally, around 20% of people suffer from chronic pain, an illness that cannot be cured and has been linked to numerous physical and mental conditions. According to the BioPsychoSocial model of pain, chronic pain presents patients with biological, psychological, and social challenges and difficulties. Immersive virtual reality (VR) has shown great promise in helping people manage acute and chronic pain, and facilitating empathy of vulnerable populations. Therefore, the first research trajectory of this dissertation targets chronic pain patients’ biological and psychological sufferings to provide VR analgesia, and the second research trajectory targets healthy people to build empathy and reduce patients’ social stigma. Researchers have taken the attention distraction approach to study how acute pain patients can manage their condition in VR, while the virtual embodiment approach has mostly been studied with healthy people exposed to pain stimulus. My first research trajectory aimed to understand how embodied characteristics affect users’ sense of embodiment and pain. Three studies have been carried out with healthy people under heat pain, complex regional pain syndrome patients, and phantom limb pain patients. My findings indicate that for all three studies, when users see a healthy or intact virtual body or body parts, they experience significant reductions in their self-reported pain ratings. Additionally, I found that the appearance of a virtual body has a significant impact on pain, whereas the virtual body’s motions do not. Despite the prevalence of chronic pain, public awareness of it is remarkably low, and pain patients commonly experience social stigma. Thus, having an embodied perspective of chronic pain patients is critical to understand their social stigma. Although there is a growing interest in using embodied VR to foster empathy towards gender or racial bias, few studies have focused on people with chronic pain. My second trajectory explored how researchers can foster empathy towards pain patients in embodied VR. To conclude, this dissertation uncovers the role of VR embodiment and dissects embodied characteristics in pain modulation and empathy generation. Finally, I summarized a novel conceptual design framework for embodied VR applications with design recommendations and future research directions

Immersive Participation:Futuring, Training Simulation and Dance and Virtual Reality

Dance knowledge can inform the development of scenario design in immersive digital simulation environments by strengthening a participant’s capacity to learn through the body. This study engages with processes of participatory practice that question how the transmission and transfer of dance knowledge/embodied knowledge in immersive digital environments is activated and applied in new contexts. These questions are relevant in both arts and industry and have the potential to add value and knowledge through crossdisciplinary collaboration and exchange. This thesis consists of three different research projects all focused on observation, participation, and interviews with experts on embodiment in digital simulation. The projects were chosen to provide a range of perspectives across dance, industry and futures studies. Theories of embodied cognition, in particular the notions of the extended body, distributed cognition, enactment and mindfulness, offer critical lenses through which to explore the relationship of embodied integration and participation within immersive digital environments. These areas of inquiry lead to the consideration of how language from the field of computer science can assist in describing somatic experience in digital worlds through a discussion of the emerging concepts of mindfulness, wayfinding, guided movement and digital kinship. These terms serve as an example of how the mutability of language became part of the process as terms applied in disparate disciplines were understood within varying contexts. The analytic tools focus on applying a posthuman view, speculation through a futures ethnography, and a cognitive ethnographical approach to my research project. These approaches allowed me to examine an ecology of practices in order to identify methods and processes that can facilitate the transmission and transfer of embodied knowledge within a community of practice. The ecological components include dance, healthcare, transport, education and human/computer interaction. These fields drove the data collection from a range of sources including academic papers, texts, specialists’ reports, scientific papers, interviews and conversations with experts and artists.The aim of my research is to contribute both a theoretical and a speculative understanding of processes, as well as tools applicable in the transmission of embodied knowledge in virtual dance and arts environments as well as digital simulation across industry. Processes were understood theoretically through established studies in embodied cognition applied to workbased training, reinterpreted through my own movement study. Futures methodologies paved the way for speculative processes and analysis. Tools to choreograph scenario design in immersive digital environments were identified through the recognition of cross purpose language such as mindfulness, wayfinding, guided movement and digital kinship. Put together, the major contribution of this research is a greater understanding of the value of dance knowledge applied to simulation developed through theoretical and transformational processes and creative tools