Comparison of Heart Rate Variability Psychological Responses and Performance in Virtual and Real Archery

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Physiology

Background:

• Investigating psychophysiological differences between virtual reality (VR) and real archery.
• Assessing VR archery's impact on heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rates, perceived exertion, and performance.
• Evaluating VR as a potential archery training tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare psychophysiological responses and performance in VR versus real archery.
• To determine if VR archery elicits similar physiological and psychological outcomes as traditional archery.
• To provide insights into the effectiveness of VR for archery training.

Main Methods:

• 22 participants (8 women, aged 20-24) underwent baseline HR, HRV, and breathing rate measurements.
• Participants completed 10 shots in both real and VR archery from 18m, with continuous physiological monitoring.
• Paired sample t-tests were used to compare performance and psychophysiological measures between VR and real archery.

Main Results:

• Real archery showed significantly higher HR and RMSSD compared to VR archery.
• VR archery resulted in a greater percentage change in RMSSD.
• Participants reported higher RPE and perceived difficulty in real archery, with higher performance in VR archery.

Conclusions:

• VR and real archery elicit distinct autonomic response patterns, particularly concerning vagal activity.
• The study suggests differences in physiological regulation between virtual and real-world archery experiences.
• VR archery may offer a unique training environment with varied psychophysiological outcomes.