Virtual Reality in Psychological Research and Therapy

Methods

Summary

All 3 studies for this dissertation will follow a 3-month longitudinal design. For studies 1 and 2, which focus on VR gaming, this design seeks to address some of the methodological criticisms of previously established video game research, as those studies only evaluated short-term, immediate effects before positing that those effects have lifelong consequences. Furthermore, pre- and post-experimental measures will be taken to compare the degree in which gaming may affect behavior, both positively and negatively, during this time period. 

To address the criticisms of mismatched games, studies 1 and 2 opted to use multiple gameplay components to balance the gameplay experiences. It is practically impossible to match games perfectly, especially when attempting to match violent gameplay experiences with non-violent gameplay experiences. As such, the VR gaming studies balances games between groups by balancing the gameplay experiences of each set of games rather than individual games. 

For study 3, which seeks to evaluate the efficacy of self-directed virtual reality exposure therapy, the general methodology used by previous virtual reality exposure studies will be used. This 12-week trial period has been repeatedly shown to be effective in treating specific phobias, and a 3-month follow-up will allow for a clearer understanding for the long-term effects of the self-directed treatment. 

Challenges

Perhaps the greatest challenge for these sets of experiments is the recruitment of participants willing to undergo the 12-week trials. For studies 1 and 2, a monetary incentive for those who complete all trials was established to attract participation, and as VR gaming is a core component of the experiment, the novel experience could attract curious individuals. Study 3's challenges in recruiting participants simply stem from the available number of individuals with mild to moderate acrophobia and their initiative to seek treatment. Past studies have noted that individuals suffering from phobia may be more open to undergoing virtual reality exposure therapy, therefore it is our hope that this procedure may give potential participants the motivation to try the novel treatment method. 

Pre Analysis Plan

All data will be analyzed via analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-tests. For studies 1 and 2, behavior will be recorded in binary code ("0" meaning no behavior and "1" representing the presence of a specific behavior), while study 3 will implement the same data analyses outlined by previous studies to gauge the participant's levels of acrophobia during the pre- and post-treatment phase.