Using Biofeedback while Immersed in a Stressful Videogame Increases the Effectiveness of Stress Management Skills in Soldiers

This study assessed the efficacy of using visual and auditory biofeedback while immersed in a tridimensional videogame to practice a stress management skill (tactical breathing). All 41 participants were soldiers who had previously received basic stress management training and first aid training in combat. On the first day, they received a 15-minute refresher briefing and were randomly assigned to either: (a) no additional stress management training (SMT) for three days, or (b) 30-minute sessions (one per day for three days) of biofeedback-assisted SMT while immersed in a horror/first-person shooter game. The training was performed in a dark and enclosed environment using a 50-inch television with active stereoscopic display and loudspeakers. On the last day, all participants underwent a live simulated ambush with an improvised explosive device, where they had to provide first aid to a wounded soldier. Stress levels were measured with salivary cortisol collected when waking-up, before and after the live simulation. Stress was also measured with heart rate at baseline, during an apprehension phase, and during the live simulation. Repeated-measure ANOVAs and ANCOVAs confirmed that practicing SMT was effective in reducing stress. Results are discussed in terms of the advantages of the proposed program for military personnel and the need to practice SMT

Walking Accessibility to Parks: Considering Number of Parks, Surface Area and Type of Activities

RÉSUMÉ: Parks and green spaces are desirable destinations for diverse reasons including exercising, playing, relaxing, and socializing. In this paper, we demonstrate that simultaneously considering number of parks, surface area and type of activity provides an improved understanding of walking accessibility to parks in urban areas. Using open datasets and a configurable tool, we find that in Montreal, 95% of the population have access to three or more parks, 83% can access 3 or more playgrounds, and 10% can access 3 or more open air activities within a 1 km walk. The accessible surface area varies considerably across the region. The tool reveals distinct patterns that better reflect the diversity of needs and uncovering specific inequalities, and can therefore contribute to improved decision-making

Engaging in Awkward Social Interactions in a Virtual Environment Designed for Exposure-Based Psychotherapy for People with Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder: An International Multisite Study

The effectiveness of in virtuo exposure-based treatment of performance-only social anxiety disorder (SAD) has been demonstrated in several studies. However, few studies have validated virtual environments with participants suffering from generalized SAD. The goal of this study is to confirm the potential of a virtual environment in inducing anxiety in adults suffering from generalized SAD, compared to adults without SAD, when engaged in awkward social interactions. Differences between participants from two different countries were also explored. The sample consisted of 15 participants with SAD from Canada, 17 participants without SAD from Canada, 16 participants with SAD from Spain, and 21 participants without SAD from Spain. All participants were immersed in a control virtual environment and in an experimental virtual environment considered potentially anxiety-inducing for individuals with generalized SAD. As hypothesized, results showed that the experimental virtual environment induced a higher level of anxiety than the control environment among participants with SAD compared to those without SAD. The impact on anxiety of each socially threatening task performed during the experimental immersion was statistically significant. In terms of anxiety responses, no significant differences were found between participants from Canada and Spain. However, spatial presence and ecological validity were higher in Canadians than in Spaniards. Unwanted negative side effects induced by immersions in virtual reality were higher in the SAD group. This study highlights the importance for therapists to engage people with SAD in clinically relevant tasks while immersed in VR psychotherapeutic applications

L’ attention au service de l’apprentissage durable

La réception de l’information est une étape cruciale dans le processus d’apprentissage, tel que présenté dans le troisième article de cette série. Cette étape est facilitée lorsqu’on prépare les élèves à être attentifs, qu’on sollicite leur attention, puis qu’on la dirige vers l’apprentissage ciblé (Escudier et Debas, 2020). Ainsi, connaitre les rouages de l’attention pourrait soutenir l’ajustement de gestes professionnels et favoriser l’apprentissage

L’environnement sociopédagogique en classe primaire et l’utilisation de données de recherche-action par les milieux de pratique

Cet article vise à décrire la perception de l’environnement sociopédagogique d’élèves de l’éducation préscolaire et de l’enseignement primaire dont les personnes enseignantes participent à une recherche collaborative. Les données collectées par questionnaire sur l’environnement sociopédagogique permettent de décrire les climats relationnel, pédagogique, de sécurité, de justice, évaluatif et d’appartenance tels que perçus par les élèves (n = 185). Les résultats font ressortir que certains climats sont perçus plus négativement que d’autres, notamment les climats d’évaluation et de sécurité.This article aims to describe the perception of the socio-pedagogical environment of preschool and elementary school students whose teachers are participating in collaborative research. The data was collected by a questionnaire relating to the perception of the socio-pedagogical environment administered in the classes of the participating teachers. It allows a description of climates (relational, pedagogical, security, justice, evaluative and belonging) as perceived by the participating teachers’ elementary and preschool students (n = 185). The results showed that two climates, evaluative and security, are perceived more negatively than the others