The effect of immersion and presence in a virtual reality public speaking task

Three virtual environments (with varying immersive features) of a small teaching classroom with an audience were tested to determine whether higher graphical fidelity (Immersion) improved public speaking anxiety after participating in a mock public speaking task. The UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) was administered from the perspective that participants were going to complete a public speaking task in the immediate future and the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) were taken before and after along with the iGroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ). By manipulating technical quantitative elements of Virtual Environment construction, dimensions of presence significantly differed between conditions. Public speaking anxiety did not improve after participating in the task and increased immersion did not significantly reduce fear of public speaking within one session. Participants in all conditions however experienced a positive mood shift after participating in the public speaking task

Still want to help? Interpersonal coordination's effects on helping behaviour after a 24 hour delay

A fast-growing literature is establishing how moving in time together has pro-social consequences, though no work to date has explored the persistence of these effects over time. Across two studies, people who had previously performed coordinated movements were over three times more likely to give their time to help their co-actor when asked 24 hours later than those who had performed a similar but uncoordinated task. Findings showed that group-level categorisation, but not social affiliation, partially mediated helping behaviour. This provides preliminary evidence that the pro-social effects of coordination are sustainable over a longer period than previously reported, and that the effects of coordination upon pro-social motivation may be more related to changes in group level categorisations than increased social affiliations.</p

If the Mask Fits: Psychological Correlates with Online Self-Presentation Experimentation in Adults

Online self-presentation refers to the ways in which individuals share aspects of the self to portray a particular image. Being online presents opportunities for individuals to experiment with different versions of the self as part of identity development but also to manage how others perceive them. Research has shown that personality can influence online self-presentation behaviors, but these studies have mainly focused on internal characteristics, and more research is needed exploring the relational facets of personality. This study aims to investigate the extent to which an individual's self-concept clarity, self-monitoring tendency, self-esteem, and social anxiety predict different presentations of the online self. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 405 adult participants from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results show that individuals with higher self-concept clarity and self-monitoring are more likely to present a single consistent online and offline self. Younger adults and those with greater social anxiety are more likely to present idealized self-images online, and participants with higher social anxiety and lower self-esteem are more likely to prefer online, rather than offline, communication. Findings are broadly consistent with the literature, and suggest the need for more systematic investigation into a variety of personality variables that take into account the relational nature of identity formation and impression management. This research emphasizes the multifaceted nature of online self-presentation behaviors, and the ways in which they are differentially influenced by personality variables

The Effect of Immersion and Presence in a Virtual Reality Public Speaking Task

Three virtual environments (with varying immersive features) of a small teaching classroom were tested to determine whether higher graphical fidelity (immersion) improved public speaking anxiety (PSA) after participating in a mock public speaking task. The UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) and Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) were completed before and after the task and from the perspective that participants were about to engage in a real life public speech. The iGroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) was also completed. Perceived presence significantly differed between low, medium and high immersion conditions. PSA did not improve after participating in the task and increased immersion did not reduce PSA. Participants in all conditions however experienced a positive mood shift after participating in the public speaking task

Investigating the experience of viewing extreme real-world violence online: naturalistic evidence from an online discussion forum

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Sage in New Media and Society on [dd/mm/yyyy], available online: [link to online copy] The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This study investigates the psychological impact of viewing user-generated content depicting extreme real-world violence. Eight threads were harvested from publicly accessible online discussion forums in which people 17 discussed their experiences of witnessing real-world torture, maiming, or death online. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to systematically analyse these threads. The themes capture the contradictory ways in which people react to viewing extreme real-world violence online, with some finding it intensely distressing and others using it as a resource for psychological grounding or (perceived) strengthening. Based on this analysis, we highlight pathways that may lead to the cessation or continuation of viewing such content and argue that greater research on this seemingly common but under-studied experience is warranted.This research was funded by an unrestricted gift from Facebook Foundational Integrity Research 2021. The funder had no input into or control over the research process or findings. The Authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article

Using audio-mixing software to facilitate remote data collection of conversational interactions

This is an accepted manuscript due to be published in the Proceedings of the 35th BCS Human-Computer Interaction Conference. The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.This paper discusses the issues with using open source, audio-mixing technology to facilitate remote data collection of speech samples, which was needed specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will also be beneficial in other contexts, e.g., to save on time and costs associated with travelling. We discuss practical constraints associated with remote data collection using this technology. We also consider issues around ethics, security, and data quality in using technology to record conversational interactions. We provide the example of using common tools such as MS Teams and smartphones and two types of software to conduct interviews to collect speech data as a proof-of-concept and offer further directions for research

Using audio-mixing software to facilitate remote data collection of conversational interactions

This paper discusses the issues with using open source, audio-mixing technology to facilitate remote data collection of speech samples, which was needed specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will also be beneficial in other contexts, e.g., to save on time and costs associated with travelling. We discuss practical constraints associated with remote data collection using this technology. We also consider issues around ethics, security, and data quality in using technology to record conversational interactions. We provide the example of using common tools such as MS Teams and smartphones and two types of software to conduct interviews to collect speech data as a proof-of-concept and offer further directions for research

Accelerated HE digitalisation: Exploring staff and student experiences of the Covid-19 HE rapid online-learning transfer

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer in Education and Information Technologies on 19/02/2022. The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version