Why and how to use virtual reality to study human social interaction: The challenges of exploring a new research landscape.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0373124 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2044-8295 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00071269 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Br J Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2011- : West Sussex, England : Wiley-Blackwell
Original Publication: London ; New York : Cambridge University Press, [1953]-

Interpersonal Relations* ; Research Design* ; Virtual Reality*; Behavioral Research/*methods ; Psychology/*methods; Behavioral Research/trends ; Humans ; Psychology/trends ; Reproducibility of Results

As virtual reality (VR) technology and systems become more commercially available and accessible, more and more psychologists are starting to integrate VR as part of their methods. This approach offers major advantages in experimental control, reproducibility, and ecological validity, but also has limitations and hidden pitfalls which may distract the novice user. This study aimed to guide the psychologist into the novel world of VR, reviewing available instrumentation and mapping the landscape of possible systems. We use examples of state-of-the-art research to describe challenges which research is now solving, including embodiment, uncanny valley, simulation sickness, presence, ethics, and experimental design. Finally, we propose that the biggest challenge for the field would be to build a fully interactive virtual human who can pass a VR Turing test - and that this could only be achieved if psychologists, VR technologists, and AI researchers work together.
(© 2018 The Authors British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

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Keywords: psychology; social interaction; virtual humans; virtual reality

Date Created: 20180306 Date Completed: 20181002 Latest Revision: 20190318

20240104

PMC6055846

10.1111/bjop.12290

29504117