An Exploratory Study on the Effect of Virtual Environments on Cognitive Performances and Psychophysiological Responses

Bibliographic Data

ID22003997
AuthorsIvana Frigione (0000-0003-4798-9509, University of Milano-Bicocca, corresponding author), Gemma Massetti (0000-0003-2040-2173, University of Milano-Bicocca), Matteo Girondini (0000-0003-4156-0779, University of Milano-Bicocca), Roberta Etzi (0000-0002-5530-6627, University of Milano-Bicocca), Giulia Wally Scurati (0000-0002-0389-4279, Politecnico di Milano), Francesco Ferrise (0000-0001-8951-8807, Politecnico di Milano), Alice Chirico (0000-0001-9955-1926, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Andrea Gaggioli (0000-0001-7818-7598, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Alberto Gallace (0000-0002-4561-8926, University of Milano-Bicocca)
Year2022
Volume25
Issue10
Pages666-671
Publication date2022-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2152-2715 • E-ISSN: 2152-2723
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1089/cyber.2021.0162
PMID36179069
OpenAlexW4298126246
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited29

Research shows that reduced exposure to natural contexts is associated with an increase in psychophysical disorders. Recent evidence suggests that even a brief experience in natural scenarios can positively affect people's health and well-being. However, natural contexts are not always easily accessible. This study investigates the effects of natural and indoor virtual environments (VREs) on psychophysiological and cognitive responses. Following a within-subject design, 34 healthy participants were exposed to two VREs (i.e., a forest and a living room) in a counterbalanced order through a head-mounted display (Oculus Rift). Participants were asked to explore the scenarios and execute a modified version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. Physiological parameters (heart rate, skin conductance level [SCL], and respiration rate) were recorded during the whole session. After the exposure to VREs, participants filled a set of visual analog scales to rate their subjective experience of presence, relaxation, and stress. Participants reported a higher perceived sense of relaxation in the virtual forest. Moreover, their SCLs were significantly higher in this environment, showing that the forest elicited higher physiological arousal than the living room. Furthermore, their SCLs were significantly higher during the attentional task in the virtual living room. The results suggest that a natural virtual environment can make people feel more relaxed and physiologically engaged than an indoor scenario. The latter instead can be linked to a performing venue, as reported for real contexts. However, these changes were not related to modulations of attentional performance

Arousal · Audiology · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Exploratory research · Heart rate · Heart rate variability · Human–computer interaction · Skin conductance · Virtual reality · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Medicine · Neuroscience · Noise Effects and Management · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation

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