Reflections on Co-creating Nature-Based Virtual Reality Experiences for Adults Living With Severe COPD

This dissertation focused on studying the lived experience of working with and for people living with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to co-create a personalized nature-based virtual reality (VR) experience. People with severe COPD have issues with being able to breathe clearly and deeply, which then influences their ability to visit outdoor places. Outdoor places have been shown to have many positive effects on multi-dimensional health outcomes. Severe COPD can also make traveling to faraway destinations and even visiting nearby outdoor spaces difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to develop personalized nature-based VR experiences as an alternative to physically visiting outdoor spaces for four upstate South Carolina residents with severe COPD. This transdisciplinary research was exploratory and utilized literature and methods from nature, virtual reality, nursing, health narratives and storytelling, and co-creation. Mixed methods were utilized including physiological measures, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and researcher’s voice recordings for data collection with four participants. Based on the research design, Chapter 1 introduced the bodies of literature, background information, and the goal of the dissertation. Chapter 2 measured the effects of co-creating a personalized nature-based VR experience for people with severe COPD, particularly the effects on psychological well-being. Chapter 3 examined the narratives people with severe COPD convey. Chapter 4 explored how cocreating a VR experience with a participant during his end-of-life process and death influenced the researcher (me). Results showed co-creating personalized nature-based VR experiences appeared to increase psychological well-being. Additionally, participants iii offered three counternarratives to society’s assumptions of severe COPD or the “wounded body” narrative: the “teaching body”, the “comedic body”, and the “empowered body”. Chapter 4 reflected on how a participant’s death changed how I viewed the relationship between researcher and participant and the language that was used when discussing research. Chapter 5 discussed research takeaways, limitations, and future directions, such as the value of transdisciplinary teams to yield impactful applied research, the importance of using language in research that is inclusive, and how cocreation can facilitate positive researcher/participant relationships. This dissertation helped people experience outdoor spaces again and share counternarratives to society’s assumptions of severe COPD

The paradox of high greenness and poor health in rural Central Appalachia.

While many studies have found positive correlations between greenness and human health, rural Central Appalachia is an exception. The region has high greenness levels but poor health. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a possible explanation for this paradox: three sets of factors overwhelming or attenuating the health benefits of greenness. These include environmental (e.g., steep typography and limited access to green space used for outdoor recreation), social (e.g., chronic poverty, declining coal industry, and limited access to healthcare), and psychological and behavioral factors (e.g., perceptions about health behaviors, healthcare, and greenness). The influence of these factors on the expected health benefits of greenness should be considered as working hypotheses for future research. Policymakers and public health officials need to ensure that greenness-based interventions account for contextual factors and other determinants of health to ensure these interventions have the expected health benefits

Leveraging and exercising caution with ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools in environmental psychology research

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is an emerging and disruptive technology that has attracted considerable interest from researchers and educators across various disciplines. We discuss the relevance and concerns of ChatGPT and other GAI tools in environmental psychology research. We propose three use categories for GAI tools: integrated and contextualized understanding, practical and flexible implementation, and two-way external communication. These categories are exemplified by topics such as the health benefits of green space, theory building, visual simulation, and identifying practical relevance. However, we also highlight the balance of productivity with ethical issues, as well as the need for ethical guidelines, professional training, and changes in the academic performance evaluation systems. We hope this perspective can foster constructive dialogue and responsible practice of GAI tools

The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review

We review the methods and findings of experiments that have examined the effects of exposure to simulated natural landscapes on human health and cognitive performance. Keyword searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science resulted in the inclusion of 175 experiments in 148 research articles. that were published/in press by December 31, 2018. We report how often landscape features and human factors are controlled for within these experiments, thereby—for the first time—recording specifically what elements of “nature” and the built/social environment are used when testing the benefits of green space and blue space exposure. We also document all the simulation methods that are used (e.g., duration, number of exposures, senses engaged, and devices used). Next, to determine what methodological decisions influence study findings, we compare positive versus mixed/null or negative findings across 14 potential moderators. Only study quality and outcome measure influence findings; experiments without control groups or randomized treatments reported more positive findings than expected. Experiments studying perceived restoration also reported more positive findings than expected—remarkably, 95% of such experiments reported simulated nature was indeed restorative. We discuss the possibility that these findings may indicate publication bias in favor of overreporting the salutory impacts of natural landscapes. We conclude our review with a synthesis of best practices for future research studies

The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review

We review the methods and findings of experiments that have examined the effects of exposure to simulated natural landscapes on human health and cognitive performance. Keyword searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science resulted in the inclusion of 175 experiments in 148 research articles. that were published/in press by December 31, 2018. We report how often landscape features and human factors are controlled for within these experiments, thereby—for the first time—recording specifically what elements of “nature” and the built/social environment are used when testing the benefits of green space and blue space exposure. We also document all the simulation methods that are used (e.g., duration, number of exposures, senses engaged, and devices used). Next, to determine what methodological decisions influence study findings, we compare positive versus mixed/null or negative findings across 14 potential moderators. Only study quality and outcome measure influence findings; experiments without control groups or randomized treatments reported more positive findings than expected. Experiments studying perceived restoration also reported more positive findings than expected—remarkably, 95% of such experiments reported simulated nature was indeed restorative. We discuss the possibility that these findings may indicate publication bias in favor of overreporting the salutory impacts of natural landscapes. We conclude our review with a synthesis of best practices for future research studies

Optimizing Virtual Nature for Psychological and Physiological Well-Being: A Systematic Review of the Moderating Effects of Duration, Nature Type, Sample Characteristics, and Immersiveness and Potential Risks of Bias

Virtual nature research has emerged as a prominent and captivating study area, gaining much attention for its profound potential to enhance well-being. This literature review aimed to expand prior reviews of virtual nature experiences on psychological and physiological well-being in two ways: summarizing how four factors may moderate the beneficial effects of virtual nature and reporting the risk of bias in this body of literature. Searches for peer-reviewed research articles were conducted in Web of Science and Scopus and manually identified, returning 78 relevant empirical studies published between 2010 and 2023. The assessment of bias was conducted utilizing Cochrane’s RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools. The four moderators examined were duration of exposure (i.e., ≤5 min, 5–10 min, ≥10 min), type of virtual nature (i.e., green space, blue space), sample characteristics (i.e., age, health status), and immersion level (i.e., virtual reality [VR], 2D screens). We found limited evidence for the impact of the first three moderators but stronger evidence for higher levels of immersion showing stronger benefits. All studies were found to have a moderate to high risk of bias, mostly related to the subjective measurement of outcomes. Future research should prioritize studying tailored virtual nature interventions and their long-term effects among diverse participants and different types of virtual environments, as well as investigating the influence of presence and immersion levels in virtual settings. These efforts will provide further insights into the underlying mechanisms of the benefits derived from virtual nature exposure.</p