Using virtual reality to study paranoia in individuals with and without psychosis

Using virtual reality to study paranoia in individuals with and without psychosis

Brinkman, W.P.
Veling, W.
Dorrestijn, E.
Sandino, G.
Vakili, A.
Van der Gaag, M.

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Man-Machine Interaction

2011-12-31

A virtual reality environment was created to study psychotic symptoms of patients that experience psychosis. In the environment people could navigate through a bar with a gamepad while wearing a head mounted display. Their task was to find five virtual characters that have a small label number on their chest. The density and ethnic appearance of the virtual characters in the bar was controlled. To study the effect of these two factors a 2 by 2 experiment was conducted with a group of 24 non-patients, and two patients. For the non-patient group results showed a significant main effect for density on participant’s physiological response, their behaviour, reported level of discomfort, and their ability to remember place and location of the numbered avatars. The avatar ethnicity had significant effect on non-patients’ physiological responses. Comparison between the two patients and non-patient group shows difference in physiological responses, behaviour and reported level of discomfort.

virtual reality, psychosis, social scene, psychotic, paranoia, exposure

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:31e9d95d-2ca2-48d9-90c9-54d346774fed

Virtual Reality Medical Institute VRMI

1784-9934

Journal of Cybertherapy and Rehabilitation 4(2)2011, 249-251 (Preliminary version)

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2011 Brinkman, W.P., Veling, W., Dorrestijn, E., Sandino, G., Vakili, A., Van der Gaag, M.