Abstract
The overview effect is the commonly reported experience of astronauts viewing planet Earth from space and the subsequent reflection on and processing of this experience. The overview effect is associated with feelings of awe, self-transcendence, and a change of perspective and identity that manifest themselves in taking steps toward protecting the fragile ecosystem. In the current study, we investigated whether the overview effect can be obtained in school children when simulated using virtual reality (VR) and whether the effect has a positive impact on learning gains. Using questionnaires and attention data in an existing simulation environment used in the school system, we showed that the VR simulation elicits an overview effect experience. Moreover, the experience yields learning gains in the domain of astrophysics. These findings are in line with past evidence regarding the positive impact of awe on learning and can be used to support further investigations of the relation between the overview effect and behavioral changes, specifically for educational purposes.
Highlights
Since the 50th anniversary of the landing on the Moon and the first photograph of planet Earth outside its atmosphere, a renewed interest has emerged in the intense experience reported by astronauts
We measured the recreation of the overview effect with questionnaires related to commonly associated concepts, namely, a rating of the child’s awe and compassion and questionnaires related to virtual experiences, in particular, and presence
We measured the effectiveness of a virtual space experience for educational purposes, with a knowledge test that was embedded within a full educational program on space, of which the virtual reality (VR) space flight was one component
Summary
Since the 50th anniversary of the landing on the Moon and the first photograph of planet Earth outside its atmosphere, a renewed interest has emerged in the intense experience reported by astronauts. This experience was dubbed as the overview effect (White, 2014), an overwhelming experience when viewing the Earth from space and the subsequent reflection on and processing of this experience (Nezami, 2017). White (2014) describes the overview effect as a cognitive shift in awareness caused by seeing Earth protected by a very-thin-looking ozone layer in the hostility of space. Some astronauts consider it a spiritual experience leading to self-transcendence (Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019), a “temporary feeling of unity characterized by reduced self-salience and increased feelings of connection” (Yaden et al, 2016)
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