Library for universal virtual reality experiments (luVRe): A standardized immersive 3D/360° picture and video database for VR based research

Abstract

Virtual reality is a promising tool for experimental psychology, enhancing the ecological validity of psychological science. The advantage of VR is that it enables researchers to study emotional and cognitive processes under realistic conditions while maintaining strict experimental control. To make it easier for scientists to get into the world of VR research and to improve the comparability of scientific results, we have created and validated a standardized set of 3D/360° videos and photos. Study 1 investigated the electrophysiological differences between motivational and emotional reactions exhibited under immersive VR and conventional 2D conditions. The obtained frontal alpha asymmetries show diverge patterns between the two conditions giving rise to further speculations that associated psychological processes exhibit more natural functional properties under immersive conditions. The feeling of being at the center of a realistic VR environment creates a sense of self-relevance. In VR, motivational tendencies and emotional reactions are related to objects or persons within the vicinity of the participant and not to the stimuli presented on a screen. Study 2, investigating the memory performance for VR videos as opposed to a conventional 2D screen presentation, provides evidence that memory formed under immersive conditions created more profound memory traces. This so-called memory superiority effect for the VR conditions might again result from the feeling of being in a scene, thus facilitating the formation of autobiographical memory. The implementation of VR experiments using the database is straightforward as it does neither require much technical equipment nor a high level of VR expertise.

Authentic Fear Responses in Virtual Reality: A Mobile EEG Study on Affective, Behavioral and Electrophysiological Correlates of Fear

“…The sample size was determined based on previous studies that conducted EEG measurements in a VR condition (Kisker et al, 2020;Lange and Osinsky, 2020;Schöne et al, 2021). Based on these studies, we aimed for a sample of about 25 participants per subgroup (see Exploration time and behavior).…”

“…Based on these studies, we aimed for a sample of about 25 participants per subgroup (see Exploration time and behavior). Although data acquisition was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are optimistic that we obtained an adequate number of data sets corresponding to groups sizes implemented in previous VR studies (see Schöne et al, 2019;Kisker et al, 2020;Lange and Osinsky, 2020;Schöne et al, 2021). The participants received either partial course credits or 15€ for participation.…”

“…This further enables mobile and multi-modal brain/ body imaging utilizing head-tracking, motion capture or analysis via video, opening up possibilities for less restricted behavioral reactions to be explicitly recorded, analyzed, and integrated into the research design (Makeig et al, 2009). Our previous study on FAA in virtual environments has demonstrated the general technical feasibility of combined VR EEG-FAA measurements (Schöne et al, 2021; see also Lange and Osinsky, 2020 for mobile EEG). Most importantly, the study provided the first evidence that the same stimulus material presented in VR compared to a 2D condition yields different motivational patterns reflected in the FAA data.…”

Inter- and Transcultural Learning in Social Virtual Reality: A Proposal for an Inter- and Transcultural Virtual Object Database to be Used in the Implementation, Reflection, and Evaluation of Virtual Encounters

“…Implications for the method of this investigation will be drawn from these findings. The Library for Universal Virtual Reality Experiments (luVRe) by Schöne and colleagues [29] includes 450 videos with 69 subjects recorded with an Insta 360°VR camera (Insta360, Shenzhen, China) and tripod. It includes everyday scenes and unusual encounters with varying arousal and valence (e.g., calming nature scenes, tourist attractions/cities, a visit to the dentist, male strippers, puppies playing, or a beer in a bar).…”

“…Further differences between 2D and 3D objects have been described. Apart from Schöne and colleagues [29] who measured the emotional and motivational response of the videos using EEG and Li and colleagues [12] who recorded head movements, explicit and conscious measurement methods were most frequently used. Explicit measures provide information about what people want to disclose.…”