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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality
Published on: August 9, 2010
Virtual reality and acrophobia: one-year follow-up and case study
Carlos M Coelho1, Jorge A Santos, Jorge Silvério
1Institute of Education and Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Minho, Gualtar Campus, 4710-057 Braga Codex, Portugal. ccoelho@iep.uminho.pt
Abstract:
We present a study with 10 subjects being exposed to three sessions of simulated heights in a virtual reality (VR) system. Among the participants we highlight a 66-year-old man blind in his left eye. The participants show significant progress in anxiety, avoidance, and behavior measurements when confronted with real height circumstances. The results obtained 1 year later at follow-up are statistically significant in the Behavioral Avoidance Test (BAT) and the Attitudes Toward Heights Questionnaire (ATHQ), but not the Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ).
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