Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality
Published on: August 9, 2010
Adaptive Non-Immersive VR Environment for Eliciting Fear of Cockroaches: A Physiology-Driven Approach Combined with
Pedro J Rosa1,2, Filipe Luz1, Roberto Júnior1
1. HEI-lab/School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidade e Tecnologias de Lisboa instead of School of Psychology and Life Sciences/HEI-Lab Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias de Lisboa, Portugal. Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Portugal.
Abstract:
Non-immersive VR environments are related to the least interactive application of VR techniques, such that interaction with the VR environment can occur commonly by 3D-TV without full immersion into the environment. This study presents how 3D-TV exposure combined with physiology recording can elicit fear of cockroaches among individuals with different levels of fear. Thirty-six participants, set apart into three fear groups (low vs. moderate vs. high), were exposed to VR environment with cockroaches for 4 minutes while recording and using cardiac activity as input to the VR environment. Results revealed significant effects on self-report measures and heart rate between different fear groups. Moreover, participants with higher levels of fear were more likely to trigger cockroaches into the scenario due to their cardiac acceleration. Overall results suggest that our physiology-driven VR environment is valid for fear elicitation while having potential use in therapeutic domain.
