Tracing physical behavior in virtual reality: A narrative review of applications to social psychology

Yaremych, Haley E.; Persky, Susan

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103845

Cited by 63 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Therefore, it is questionable whether static observational cues are strong enough to consistently affect behavior (Fehr and Schneider 2010;Dear et al 2019;Pfattheicher et al 2019;Oda et al 2015;Cai et al 2015). Indeed, evidence indicates that the behavioral, physiological, and neurological responses to the presence of an avatar are more representative for the responses to human presence than are those of other simulated social presences such as videotapes, images or pictorials (Hartmann et al 2010;Oh et al 2018;Pan and Hamilton 2018;Rubo and Gamer 2018;Yaremych and Persky 2019). This offers an important advantage of our VR setting.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer

2020

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We conducted an experiment in a high-immersive virtual reality environment to study the effect of the presence of a virtual observer on cheating behavior. Participants were placed in a virtual room and played 30 rounds of a cheating game without a chance of their cheating being detected. We varied whether or not a virtual observer (an avatar) was present in the room, and, if so, whether the avatar was actively staring at the decision maker or passively seated in a corner watching his smartphone. Results display significantly less cheating with an active than with a passive avatar, but not less cheating than in a control condition without an avatar. This suggests that an active (virtual) observer can intensify reputational concerns, but that the presence of someone passive and uninterested may actually alleviate such concerns.

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Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer

2020

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“…Participant responses show that the simulation was effective, leading the way to expanding the use of VR to study burglary and other types of offending. For example, future studies could enable participants to interact with virtual agents or to include multiple virtual agents (to study co-offending) (Yaremych and Persky 2019). Another potential avenue for future research in this context is to examine the speed of detection of crime-and guardianship-related cues by using eye-tracking technology, which can be integrated with VR and can assist in expanding our understanding of the deterrent effect of guardianship while simultaneously testing the superior automatic recognition of burglary-related cues at a behavioural level.…”

Section: Further Understanding the Deterrent Effect Of Guardianshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mere presence of informal guardians deters burglars: a virtual reality study

et al. 2020

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Objectives This study investigates the deterrent effects of incremental levels of guardianship on residential burglary and assesses how burglars differ from non-burglars in terms of their perceptions of opportunities for burglary. Methods In a virtual reality experiment, 181 incarcerated burglars and 172 nonburglars (university students) were tasked to appraise a virtual neighbourhood in search of a burglary target. During the appraisal process, participants were exposed to different levels of guardianship, ranging from the mere presence of a guardian to an intervening guardian.Results The presence of a guardian deterred both burglars and non-burglars alike, with only negligible incremental effects for levels of guardianship. For burglars, guardianship increased the perceived likelihood of being caught and the perceived level of social cohesion, whereas it decreased neighbourhood attractiveness. The burglars differed from the non-burglars in terms of how they appraised the virtual neighbourhood, clearly reflecting differences in expertise between both groups. Conclusions With respect to residential burglary, the results suggest that guardians-in line with the original notion of guardianship developed by Cohen and Felson (American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588-608, 1979)-serve as a deterrent simply by being present.

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“…If used appropriately, VR as a methodological tool has the potential to improve interracial interactions through social psychological research (Blascovich et al, 2002;Yaremych & Persky, 2019), but its use requires careful consideration. VR environments can be highly immersive, blurring the line between the real and the virtual (Cummings & Bailenson, 2016).…”

Section: Moving Forward: Applying Recommendations To Social Science Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most racial bias research in VR involves nonverbal behavioral measures, indices that VR methodologies are particularly adept at assessing (Blascovich et al, 2002; Yaremych & Persky, 2019). Specifically, researchers find evidence of cross-race discomfort and avoidance in a variety of VR contexts, such as in social situations, emergencies, and courtrooms.…”

Section: Vr Interracial Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…IRBs should be fully aware of the nature of VR content and explicitly monitor the current research and other unknown risks of VR (e.g., cybersickness; see also Pan & Hamilton, 2018). While VR can provide temporal and ecologically valid accounts of interracial interactions (Blascovich et al, 2002; Yaremych & Persky, 2019), some participants may feel uncomfortable having these relatively noncontrollable behaviors up for research scrutiny. Participants of VR research should have full understanding and control over the data gathered and should be able to withhold information related to their interracial experiences in VR.…”

Section: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations For Vr Interracialmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interracial Contact in Virtual Reality: Best Practices

Taylor

Valladares

Siepser

et al. 2020

Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences

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Interracial interactions are occurring more frequently in virtual reality (VR) environments (e.g., multiplayer games, virtual classrooms, medical appointments). Individuals bring their biases and prejudices with them as they enter virtual spaces. Drawing from theories of real-world interracial interaction, predictable affective, cognitive, and behavioral processes undermine the quality of live interracial interactions. Emerging research using VR suggests that these same challenges occur in virtual social interactions. These challenges can be addressed using evidence-based best practices and policy recommendations: Improving racial/ethnic representation in VR, regulating codes of conduct, ensuring transparency about privacy/consent, and reducing explicit and implicit racist behavior. Following these recommendations can improve VR interracial contact and, in turn, real-world interracial interactions. While VR can serve as a unique tool to bring people together, carefully considered policies must mitigate the negative effects of racial bias that can hinder the progress of improved interracial interactions.

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Tracing physical behavior in virtual reality: A narrative review of applications to social psychology

Cited by 63 publications

References 55 publications

(Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer

(Not) alone in the world: Cheating in the presence of a virtual observer

Mere presence of informal guardians deters burglars: a virtual reality study

Interracial Contact in Virtual Reality: Best Practices

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