In this article, we provide the nontechnical reader with a fundamental understanding of the components of virtual reality (VR) and a thorough discussion of the role VR has played in social science. First, we provide a brief overview of the hardware and equipment used to create VR and review common elements found within the virtual environment that may be of interest to social scientists, such as virtual humans and interactive, multisensory feedback. Then, we discuss the role of VR in existing social scientific research. Specifically, we review the literature on the study of VR as an object, wherein we discuss the effects of the technology on human users; VR as an application, wherein we consider real-world applications in areas such as medicine and education; and VR as a method, wherein we provide a comprehensive outline of studies in which VR technologies are used to study phenomena that have traditionally been studied in physical settings, such as nonverbal behavior and social interaction. We then present a content analysis of the literature, tracking the trends for this research over the last two decades. Finally, we present some possibilities for future research for interested social scientists.Virtual reality (VR) was originally conceived as a digitally created space that humans could access by donning sophisticated computer equipment (Lanier, 1992;Rheingold, 1991;Sutherland, 1968). Once inside that space, people could be transported to a different world, a substitute reality in which one could interact with objects, people, and environments, the appearance of which were bound only by the limits of the human imagination. Images of people in bulky headgear, heavily wired gloves, and space age clothing became symbolic of the emergent technological revolution of computing and the possibilities of transforming the capabilities of the human mind and body. Futurists heralded VR as an imminent transition in the ways humans would experience media, communicate with one another, and even perform mundane tasks. In the early nineties, pioneering scientists began considering new ways this groundbreaking technology could be used to study social interaction and other psychological phenomena (Bente, 1989; Biocca 1992a,b;Loomis, 1992). In subsequent years, VR has continued to capture the imagination of scientists, philosophers, and artists for its ability to substitute our physical environment and our sensory experiences -what we understand as reality -with digital creations.In the current paper, we seek to provide the reader not familiar with virtual reality technology with a fundamental understanding of its components and provide all readers with a comprehensive analysis of the role VR has played in social science. First, we define the nature of virtual reality and virtual environments. Next, we present an overview, designed for the nontechnical reader, of the hardware and equipment used to create virtual reality. Then, we discuss the history of VR research in the social sciences. From this literature, we delineate three ...

This article examines the concept of indoctrination in the context of education. It explains that a pejorative meaning is now firmly attached to the word indoctrination and argues that the basis of the moral condemnation that accusations of indoctrination have come to convey is unclear in the absence of philosophical argument. It discusses the historical concept and conception of indoctrination, its outcome, its moral status, and its role in moral responsibility.

Well-designed digital games can deliver powerful experiences that are difficult to provide through traditional instruction, while traditional instruction can deliver formal explanations that are not a natural fit for gameplay. Combined, they can accomplish more than either can alone. An experiment tested this claim using the topic of statistics, where people's everyday experiences often conflict with normative statistical theories and a videogame might provide an alternate set of experiences for students to draw upon. The research used a game called Stats Invaders!, a variant of the classic videogame Space Invaders. In Stats Invaders!, the locations of descending alien invaders follow probability distributions, and players need to infer the shape of the distributions to play well. The experiment tested whether the game developed participants' intuitions about the structure of random events and thereby prepared them for future learning from a subsequent written passage on probability distributions. Community-college students who played the game and then read the passage learned more than participants who only read the passage.

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Schwartz, Daniel L. Measuring what matters most : choice-based assessments for the digital age / Daniel L. Schwartz and Dylan Arena. p. cm.-(The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation reports on digital media and learning) Includes bibliographical references.