Virtual Reality and Applied Psychophysiology

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology has undergone a transition in the past few years that has taken it from the realm of “expensive toy” into that of “functional technology.” After a period of inflated expectations and limited delivery in the early 90s, this form of computerbased simulation technology is now beginning to emerge as a viable tool for a wide range of clinical and research applications. Continuing advances in VR technology along with concomitant system cost reductions have supported the development of more usable, useful, and accessible VR systems that can uniquely target a variety of psychological, cognitive, and physical disorders and research questions. VR integrates real-time computer graphics, body tracking sensors, audio/visual/touch displays, and sensory input devices to immerse a participant in an interactive computer-generated virtual environment (VE) that changes in a natural way with head and body motion. The rationale for VR applications designed for these purposes is fairly straightforward. By analogy, much like an aircraft simulator serves to test and train piloting ability, VEs can be developed to present simulations that assess and treat human processes and performance under a range of stimulus conditions that are not easily (or safely) deliverable using traditional methods. What makes VR applications in these areas so distinctively important is that they represent more than a simple linear extension of existing computer technology for human use. VR offers the potential to create systematic human testing, training, and treatment environments that allow for the precise control of complex, immersive, and dynamic three-dimensional (3D) stimulus presentations, within which sophisticated interaction, behavioral tracking and performance recording is possible. When combining these assets within the context of functionally relevant, ecologically enhanced VEs, a fundamental advancement could emerge in how human functioning can be addressed in many healthcare and scientific disciplines. In this regard, there is a rather compelling rationale for the integration of VR with human physiological monitoring and brain imaging for advanced research and clinical application. There exists a rich history of research in the discipline of psychophysiology, where, the technology for recording bodily events in the least invasive fashion possible has evolved in order to capture and understand correlates of human mental and/or physical activity. Examples of such efforts would include measuring skin conductance, heart rate, and electroencephalography, etc. while a person attends to emotionally laden or cognitively