No abstract

Background: The trauma film paradigm (TFP) is a well-established method to study the effects of analogue psychological trauma under controlled laboratory settings. It has been used to examine pre-, peri-, and post-trauma processes, and to create and test interventions. A possible drawback is that watching films is a somewhat passive endeavour that lacks active behavioural engagement. Virtual reality (VR) may provide a better alternative. Like the TFP, VR allows for experimental control. In addition, it can induce a greater 'feeling of presence' and allows interaction with the environment, enabling research on action-reaction associations. Objective: We aimed to validate the utility of a VR paradigm as an experimental model to study psychological trauma by comparing its effectiveness with the TFP. Method: One group of participants (N = 25) was shown an aversive film, and another group (N = 25) moved through a VR scene. Main outcome measures were intrusion frequency assessed with a 7-day diary and self-rated vividness and emotionality of recalled memories related to the film or VR scene. Results:The results indicate that the film and VR scene were equally effective in inducing vivid and intrusive memories. However, self-reported emotional intensity appeared to be higher for memories related to the film than for memories related to the VR scene. Conclusions: Perhaps the film was more effective in inducing emotional memories than the VR scene due to its more aversive content. However, the VR scene seemed equally effective in inducing vivid and intrusive memories, and merits further exploration in light of ethical considerations (less aversive content) and other presumably beneficial qualities (e.g. inducing a greater feeling of presence and allowing interaction with the environment).

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Virtual reality (VR) allows for a close approximation of the real world, but interacting with VR differs from experiencing the real world in some key elements, one of which may be the perception of time.The main goal of the current experiment was to determine whether a time compression effect exists for VR and if so, to examine whether this is the result of the medium of VR itself, or the content used in VR.Participants viewed movie clips in either a real-life cinema or a VR replica of this cinema and were asked to rate the arousal and emotional valence they experienced during each clip. They estimated the duration of each clip in seconds. Results indicate that both level of arousal and valence as experienced by the observer positively contribute to the observed time compression effect, regardless of the viewing condition. Our data suggest there is no difference in the perception of temporal duration between VR and real life, and that the time compression effect that takes place is most likely the result of the materials displayed. So, even though VR has been claimed to result in time compression, for instance in clinical contexts, this may be caused more by the emotional content of the materials used, rather than the medium of VR itself.