Validation of a virtual reality platform for the measurement of drinking topography

The study of the way individuals drink alcohol (e.g., sip volume, sip interval; 'drinking topography'), can support intervention development by facilitating the characterization of biopsychosocial determinants of hazardous drinking. Previous studies have used simulated bar environments requiring great effort to standardize experimental conditions; new technology, such as virtual reality (VR), may permit more accurate, streamlined, and cost-efficient assessment. This study aimed to determine whether drinking topography data collected from VR bar environments is comparable to that collected in simulated bar environments.

A total of 21 non-treatment-seeking participants exceeding moderate drinking guidelines (M_age=26.24 [SD=4.358] years, 13 women) completed four counterbalanced testing sessions at which they drank up to two standard beverages containing alcohol for up to thirty minutes, ad libitum; two drinking bouts each occurred in a simulated bar environment and in a VR environment based on the same simulated bar.

Results found good validity between environments for sip interval (ICC=.83, 95 % CI=.49-.94, F_1,19=7.28, p = .000, χ²=5.57) and excellent validity between environments for sip volume (ICC=.91, 95 % CI=.77-.96 F_1,19=10.40, p = .000, χ²=.21). Overall validity for these measures was good (average ICC=.87).

The overall validity of these drinking topography measures between environments suggests that participant ad libitum drinking behavior remains consistent whether sitting at a counter in a traditional simulated bar or when wearing a headset and viewing a VR bar. However, biopsychosocial factors may influence individual differences in drinking behavior depending on the setting (e.g., prior exposure to VR) and should continue to be explored.