|
Virtual reality allows us to fully embody another and experience what life is like in their shoes. We can see beyond our own world and learn what it is like to live in another environment such as a refugee camp, or to be a race other than our own, or learn what it is like to be living in a body that is a different gender than our own. Through these experiences we can fully feel and have compassion for other people. It creates a strong sense of empathy and greater understanding for what other people in the world are going through. We can connect through new shared experiences because now we will know what it is like to be that other person and they will know what it is like to be us and as a whole it has the potential to create a greater sense of community and connection.
|
This site discusses three psychological studies in virtual reality. The first discusses using exposure therapy in VR to treat social anxiety disorder. The results indicated that VR was effective in treating social anxiety disorder and that during the one year follow-up, the effect was reported to have remained. The second study examined the use of VR for manipulation self-perception and social comparison. The researchers altered the height of the participants using VR and examined the relationship between reduced height and paranoia and social distrust. The results indicated that when the participants' heights were reduced they indicated having lower self-worth in comparison to others and increased paranoia. The implications of this study connect levels of social comparison to increased social distrust. The third study looked at how racial discrimination carries over into VR environments. The participants were faced with a rescue simulation in VR where both a white and black participant sought help. The results indicated that participants showed a bias in rescued human in connection to the bias of racial similitude in real life.
|
This site talks about how immersive technology, like VR, can have an impact on social psychology and the study of human behavior. The immersive experience provided by VR allows participants to act as natural as possible so that researchers can gain results that accurately represent real life. This would allow researchers to have both a sense of realism along with control. Virtual environments could be created to allow researchers to study the exact behavior they want to research while maintaining the level of control to ensure that they receive valid, reliable results. VR can also help to facilitate the replication of studies as well as extend studies for a longer period of time. If used to its full potential, virtual reality can help further our knowledge of basic human behavior beyond what we can comprehend today.
|
This study examined the the possibility of an engaging Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training intervention concentrated on improving social skills, social functioning, and social cognition in individuals with autism. Eight young adults with autism participated in 10 sessions for 5 weeks in the VR environment inspired by Second Life 2.1. The participants dealt with social scenarios that were created to emphasize the learning objective of each session that were similar to real life social situations such as meeting new people, interviewing for a job, and conflict management. The results indicated increases on social cognitive measures of theory of mind and emotion recognition. Additionally, after the training, real life social and occupational functioning were found. The implications of the results suggest that the VR platform has potential for enhancing social skills, cognition, and functioning in individuals with autism.