Abstract
A cluster of research in Affective Computing suggests that it is possible to infer some characteristics of users’ affective states by analyzing their electrophysiological activity in real-time. However, it is not clear how to use the information extracted from electrophysiological signals to create visual representations of the affective states of Virtual Reality (VR) users. Visualization of users’ affective states in VR can lead to biofeedback therapies for mental health care. Understanding how to visualize affective states in VR requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates psychology, electrophysiology, and audio-visual design. Therefore, this review aims to integrate previous studies from these fields to understand how to develop virtual environments that can automatically create visual representations of users’ affective states. The manuscript addresses this challenge in four sections: First, theories related to emotion and affect are summarized. Second, evidence suggesting that visual and sound cues tend to be associated with affective states are discussed. Third, some of the available methods for assessing affect are described. The fourth and final section contains five practical considerations for the development of virtual reality environments for affect visualization.
Highlights
Virtual Reality (VR) systems offer endless possibilities for the development of interactive experiences
This manuscript aims to understand how to develop VR systems for affective visualization. These systems would involve the development of at least two components: a virtual environment and an affect detection technique. The development of both components requires the understanding of theories related to emotion and affect
The manuscript analyses previous research related to 1) theories of emotion and affect, 2) audio-visual cues associated with affective states, and 3) methods for assessment of affective states
Summary
Virtual Reality (VR) systems offer endless possibilities for the development of interactive experiences They are used for the development of tools in diverse areas such as rehabilitation therapy (Garcia and Navarro, 2014), exergames (Arndt et al, 2018; Greinacher et al, 2020), and robotics (Burdea et al, 2013). Traditional psychological tasks for the treatment and diagnosis of mental disorders can be replaced by VR systems (Koenig et al, 2011; Belger et al, 2019; Blum J et al, 2019, 2020). These new tools are less time-consuming and provide more realistic environments, higher ecological validity. Previous research suggests that exposure therapy in VR might be effective for the treatment of a least three types of phobias: social phobia (Shiban et al, 2015), claustrophobia (Shiban et al, 2016), and spider-phobia (Peperkorn et al, 2014)
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