Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality as a Tool for Studying Bystander Behaviors in Interpersonal Violence: Scoping Review

Xue, Jia; Hu, Ran; Zhang, Wenzhao; Zhao, Yaxi; Zhang, Bolun; Liu, Nian; Li, Sam-Chin; Logan, Judith

doi:10.2196/25322

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(133 reference statements)

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“…In a recent meta-analysis of bystander studies that have used VR for experimental purposes or as a training tool only 11 studies (out of a possible 12,972) were found that satisfied this criteria 42 . Nine of these were experimental studies to examine factors that influence bystander behaviour, and 2 were trials of intervention programs which concentrated on presenting existing programs to encourage bystander intervention comparing the effect of using VR with video.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encouraging bystander helping behaviour in a violent incident: a virtual reality study using reinforcement learning

Rovira

Slater

2022

Sci Rep

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Virtual reality (VR) affords the study of the behaviour of people in social situations that would be logistically difficult or ethically problematic in reality. The laboratory-controlled setup makes it straightforward to collect multi-modal data and compare the responses across different experimental conditions. However, the scenario is typically fixed and the resulting data are usually analysed only once the VR experience has ended. Here we describe a method that allows adaptation of the environment to the behaviours of participants and where data is collected and processed during the experience. The goal was to examine the extent to which helping behaviour of participants towards the victim of a violent aggression might be encouraged, with the use of reinforcement learning (RL). In the scenario, a virtual human character represented as a supporter of the Arsenal Football Club, was attacked by another with the aggression escalating over time. (In some countries football is referred to as ‘soccer’, but we will use ‘football’ throughout). Each participant, a bystander in the scene, might intervene to help the victim or do nothing. By varying the extent to which some actions of the virtual characters during the scenario were determined by the RL we were able to examine whether the RL resulted in a greater number of helping interventions. Forty five participants took part in the study divided into three groups: with no RL, a medium level of RL, or full operation of the RL. The results show that the greater extent to which the RL operated the greater the number of interventions. We suggest that this methodology could be an alternative to full multi-factorial experimental designs, and more importantly as a way to produce adaptive VR scenarios that encourage participants towards a particular line of action.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encouraging bystander helping behaviour in a violent incident: a virtual reality study using reinforcement learning

Rovira

Slater

2022

Sci Rep

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“…Newer research methods such as virtual reality (VR) may help provide further control in exploring these factors. Although research with VR methods on SA bystander intervention is limited, there have been promising results from the broader interpersonal violence literature (Xue et al, 2021). Using VR methods, a study could systematically generate and vary aspects of individuals in an SA situation like the visual cues for describing someone as intoxicated, the various ways that gender/sex identity are assumed by strangers, elements of race/ethnicity, and other key factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol’s Role in Campus Sexual Assault Bystander Behavior: A Systematic Review

Rizzo

Klein

Scaglione

2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Between 50% and 70% of campus sexual assaults (SA) involve alcohol and campuses frequently promote bystander intervention strategies to prevent SA in student party contexts. This systematic review evaluates the measurement and outcomes of quantitative studies on how alcohol affects campus SA bystander outcomes. Using four search strategies and rigorous systematic review methods, we conducted a review of 36 studies. We included studies published after 2,000 conducted with college students in the United States, its territories, and Canada which contained information on alcohol use and SA bystander outcomes (behaviors and upstream proxies). Only a third of included studies measured bystander behavior directly, the majority measured upstream proxies (e.g., intentions, self-efficacy). Most studies considered the influence of victim intoxication on bystander outcomes. No studies assessed the pharmacological or physiological effects of alcohol on bystander outcomes. A single study examined hypothetical bystander responses when intoxicated, one-third examined bystander’s typical alcohol use in relation to bystander outcomes. Many findings are contradictory, including fundamental details such as how often students encounter SA involving alcohol or whether bystanders’ alcohol use predicts outcomes. Findings suggest that students are less likely help intoxicated victims compared to sober victims, but there are clear moderating factors. Perpetrator intoxication was not studied in relation to bystander behavior and did not influence any upstream proxies. Evaluations of interventions on alcohol and bystander topics are promising yet more research is required. This review illuminates key gaps in the literature, including the need for validated measures and scenarios, event-level studies, and alcohol administration trials.

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“…Opsahl et al (2021) discussed their transition from a F2F setting to an online event (via Zoom and Mentimeter 6 ) to educate employees about cyber-civility, which ultimately had equivalent outcomes to similar in-person events. Research has begun to examine novel interventions to prevent VNWB, including cyber-incivility (C. M. Clark & Dunham, 2020;Rose et al, 2020), cyber-media ethics (Permanasari et al, 2021), cyber-abuse (Seinfeld et al, 2021), bystander intervention in cyber-aggression (Rovira & Slater, 2022;Xue et al, 2021), and conflict de-escalation training for human resource employees (N. Moore et al, 2022). These include the use of online games and virtual/augmented reality simulations.…”

Section: Decreasing Ambiguitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual work conditions impact negative work behaviors via ambiguity, anonymity, and (un)accountability: An integrative review.

Keating,

Cullen-Lester,

Meuser

2024

Journal of Applied Psychology

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Negative work behavior (NWB) occurs with concerning frequency in virtual work environments. Despite their prevalence and a substantial, multidisciplinary research literature on virtual negative behaviors in general, we lack clear answers regarding if, how, and why conditions differentiating virtual (i.e., computer-mediated) from face-to-face (F2F) work impact perpetrators', victims', and bystanders' involvement in NWB. These questions remain because of an assumed isomorphism (i.e., identical form) within the literature on NWB in F2F and virtual work. We explain why we cannot assume that what is known about perpetrator engagement, victim experience, and bystander intervention from studying F2F NWB applies uniformly to virtual negative work behavior (VNWB). Specifically, we identify how eight conditions of the virtual workplace facilitate three psychological enablers (i.e., ambiguity, anonymity, and (un)accountability) of perpetrators', victims', and bystanders' involvement in VNWB. In doing so, this integrative conceptual review advances a coherent understanding of what is (un)known about VNWB, integrates fragmented theoretical literature, and guides practical intervention. Importantly, we identify limitations of existing research practices that threaten the validity and generalizability of empirical findings. If not addressed, these issues will continue to undermine theoretical development and empirical investigations of F2F NWB and VNWB. Finally, this review points to new areas of inquiry that will meaningfully advance the understanding of NWB in the modern, increasingly virtual workplace.

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Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality as a Tool for Studying Bystander Behaviors in Interpersonal Violence: Scoping Review

Cited by 19 publications

References 49 publications

Encouraging bystander helping behaviour in a violent incident: a virtual reality study using reinforcement learning

Encouraging bystander helping behaviour in a violent incident: a virtual reality study using reinforcement learning

Alcohol’s Role in Campus Sexual Assault Bystander Behavior: A Systematic Review

Virtual work conditions impact negative work behaviors via ambiguity, anonymity, and (un)accountability: An integrative review.

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