Wuthering heights: gauging fear at altitude in virtual reality

Abstract

In this study we propose an approach to assess the fear of heights through a 3D virtual reality environment. We show that an immersive scenario provides a suitable infrastructure to such purpose, when supported by related behavioural and physiological measurements. Our approach is grounded in the principled framework of constructed emotions. This allows to shape fear detection as a case of categorical perception, which is amenable to be formalised as an unsupervised learning problem. Meanwhile, it paves the way for addressing meaningful physiological parameters for the assessment. Gauging fear of heights in individuals, beyond its theoretical relevance, is cogent for the early discernment of workers who are unsuited for operating at altitude and who may require to undergo specific training or, eventually, to be recruited for different positions.