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. 2018 Aug;109(3):395-417.
doi: 10.1111/bjop.12290. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Why and how to use virtual reality to study human social interaction: The challenges of exploring a new research landscape

Xueni Pan  1 , Antonia F de C Hamilton  2
Affiliations

Why and how to use virtual reality to study human social interaction: The challenges of exploring a new research landscape

Xueni Pan et al. Br J Psychol. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

As virtual reality (VR) technology and systems become more commercially available and accessible, more and more psychologists are starting to integrate VR as part of their methods. This approach offers major advantages in experimental control, reproducibility, and ecological validity, but also has limitations and hidden pitfalls which may distract the novice user. This study aimed to guide the psychologist into the novel world of VR, reviewing available instrumentation and mapping the landscape of possible systems. We use examples of state-of-the-art research to describe challenges which research is now solving, including embodiment, uncanny valley, simulation sickness, presence, ethics, and experimental design. Finally, we propose that the biggest challenge for the field would be to build a fully interactive virtual human who can pass a VR Turing test - and that this could only be achieved if psychologists, VR technologists, and AI researchers work together.

Keywords: psychology; social interaction; virtual humans; virtual reality.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant interacting with a Virtual Human in virtual reality (VR). The VR system could take input from the participant through various channels and provide feedback mainly through video and audio.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The landscape of virtual interaction. We distinguish current technologies on two axis – graphical realism and interaction dynamics. Examples to match each letter are given in the text.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The human‐virtual agent loop. Colour coding indicates how human cognitive processes have parallels in the control of virtual agents.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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