Influence of Music on Anxiety Induced by Fear of Heights in Virtual Reality

Seinfeld, Sofia; Bergström, Ilias; Pomés, Ausiàs; Arroyo-Palacios, Jorge; Vico, Francisco J.; Slater, Mel; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01969

Cited by 48 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Finally, virtual reality allowed participants to perform actions that would be dangerous in the real world without the threat of any real danger. Despite no real danger, work by Meehan, Insko, Whitton, and Brooks [ 55 ] and Seinfeld et al [ 56 ] have found physiological measures of fear increased when viewing virtual heights, suggesting that participants react to heights in virtual environments as if they were real and that virtual environments are a reliable method for inducing emotional state. Thus, virtual reality serves as a great tool to manipulate the perception of danger without unnecessarily exposing participants to actual danger.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear Similarly Alters Perceptual Estimates of and Actions over Gaps

2016

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Previous research has demonstrated an influence of one’s emotional state on estimates of spatial layout. For example, estimates of heights are larger when the viewer is someone typically afraid of heights (trait fear) or someone who, in the moment, is experiencing elevated levels of fear (state fear). Embodied perception theories have suggested that such a change in perception occurs in order to alter future actions in a manner that reduces the likelihood of injury. However, other work has argued that when acting, it is important to have access to an accurate perception of space and that a change in conscious perception does not necessitate a change in action. No one has yet investigated emotional state, perceptual estimates, and action performance in a single paradigm. The goal of the current paper was to investigate whether fear influences perceptual estimates and action measures similarly or in a dissociable manner. In the current work, participants either estimated gap widths (Experiment 1) or were asked to step over gaps (Experiment 2) in a virtual environment. To induce fear, the gaps were placed at various heights up to 15 meters. Results showed an increase in gap width estimates as participants indicated experiencing more fear. The increase in gap estimates was mirrored in participants’ stepping behavior in Experiment 2; participants stepped over fewer gaps when experiencing higher state and trait fear and, when participants actually stepped, they stepped farther over gap widths when experiencing more fear. The magnitude of the influence of fear on both perception and action were also remarkably similar (5.3 and 3.9 cm, respectively). These results lend support to embodied perception claims by demonstrating an influence on action of a similar magnitude as seen on estimates of gap widths.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear Similarly Alters Perceptual Estimates of and Actions over Gaps

2016

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“…In particular, the SSQ can analyze sickness in detail by classifying the questions. Items 1,6,7,8,9,15, and 16 indicate nausea; items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11 indicate oculomotor sickness; and items 5,8,10,11,12,13, and 14 indicate disorientation sickness. In general, sickness is analyzed based on the sum of the weighted (nausea: 9.54, oculomotor: 7.58, disorientation: 13.92) detail items (nausea, oculomotor, and disorientation).…”

Section: Vr Sicknessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sutherland [5] researched the first HMD system that provided 3D VR scenes for the visual sense. Since then, studies have been conducted to implement highly immersive VR by satisfying the various senses of users, including the auditory and tactile senses [6][7][8]. A wide variety of research on user-oriented interactions in VR has been conducted to this point, such as a study on capturing the elaborate motions of hands and fingers using optical markers and surface markers, and reflecting these motions in a virtual space [9,10], a study on the improvement of immersion by coupling the sense of touching the ground with a sound [11], and a study on the realistic expression of various behaviors such as going up stairs and pushing against a wall in a virtual space [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study on Immersion and VR Sickness in Walking Interaction for Immersive Virtual Reality Applications

Lee

Kim

2017

Symmetry

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This study analyzes walking interaction to enhance the immersion and minimize virtual reality (VR) sickness of users by conducting experiments. In this study, the walking interaction is composed of three steps using input devices with a simple structure that can be easily used by anyone. The first step consists of a gamepad control method, which is the most popular but has low presence. The second step consists of a hand-based walking control interface, which is mainly used for interaction in VR applications. The last step consists of a march-in-place detection simulator that interacts with the legs-the key body parts for walking. Four experiments were conducted to determine the degree of direct expression of intention by users in the course of walking interactions that can improve immersion, presence, and prevent VR sickness in VR applications. With regard to the experiments in this study, survey experiments were conducted for general users using the Wilcoxon test, a presence questionnaire, and simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ). In addition, the technical performance of the VR scenes used in the experiment was analyzed. The experimental results showed that higher immersion was achieved when interactions that felt closer to real walking were provided in VR. Furthermore, it was found that even control methods with a simple structure could be used for walking interactions with minimal VR sickness. Finally, a satisfactory presence was found in VR if the user was able interact using his or her own legs.

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“…Two studies looked at using music and diaphragmatic breathing to augment exposure therapy. In Seinfeld et al 43 , participants were immersed in VR scenarios that induced fear of heights while music played in the background. Anxiolytic effects were significant only after the experience but not during the experience.…”

Section: Others (N = 9)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: A rapid review.

et al. 2020

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F1000 Faculty Reviews are written by members of the prestigious . They are F1000 Faculty commissioned and are peer reviewed before publication to ensure that the final, published version is comprehensive and accessible. The reviewers who approved the final version are listed with their names and affiliations. AbstractSpecific phobia is highly prevalent worldwide. Although the body of intervention studies is expanding, there is a lack of reviews that summarise recent progress and discuss the challenges and direction of research in this area. Hence, this rapid review seeks to systematically evaluate the available evidence in the last five years in the treatment of specific phobias in adults. Studies published between January 2014 to December 2019 were identified through searches on the electronic databases of Medline and PsychINFO. In total, 33 studies were included. Evidence indicates that psychotherapy, and in particular cognitive behaviour therapy, when implemented independently or as an adjunctive, is a superior intervention with large effect sizes. Technology-assisted therapies seem to have a beneficial effect on alleviating fears and are described to be more tolerable than exposure therapy. Pharmacological agents are investigated in vivo solely as adjuncts to exposure therapy, but the effects are inconsistent; propranolol and glucocorticoid may be promising. A handful of cognitive-based therapies designed to alter fear arousal and activation pathways of phobias have presented preliminary, positive outcomes. Challenges remain with the inherent heterogeneity of specific phobia as a disorder and the accompanying variability in outcome measures and intervention approaches to warrant a clear conclusion on efficacy. A Randomized, Controlled Trial With a 6-Month Follow-Up. J Arthroplasty. 2018; 33(3): 704-10. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | F1000 Recommendation 12. Soravia LM, Heinrichs M, Winzeler L, et al.: Glucocorticoids enhance in vivo exposure-based therapy of spider phobia. Depress Anxiety. 2014; 31(5): 429-35. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | F1000 Recommendation 13. Rouhe H, Salmela-Aro K, Toivanen R, et al.: Group psychoeducation with relaxation for severe fear of childbirth improves maternal adjustment and childbirth experience--a randomised controlled trial. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2015; 36(1): 1-9. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text 14. Dumville JC, Torgerson DJ, Hewitt CE: Reporting attrition in randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2006; 332(7547): 969-71. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | Free Full Text 15. Klabbers GA, Wijma K, Paarlberg KM, et al.: Haptotherapy as a new intervention for treating fear of childbirth: a randomized controlled trial. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2019; 40(1): 38-47. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | F1000 Recommendation 16. Rondung E, Ekdahl J, Hildingsson I, et al.: Heterogeneity in childbirth related fear or anxiety. Scand J Psychol. 2018; 59(6): 634-43. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text | F1000 Recommendation 17. Tellez M, Potter CM...

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Influence of Music on Anxiety Induced by Fear of Heights in Virtual Reality

Cited by 48 publications

References 59 publications

Fear Similarly Alters Perceptual Estimates of and Actions over Gaps

Fear Similarly Alters Perceptual Estimates of and Actions over Gaps

A Study on Immersion and VR Sickness in Walking Interaction for Immersive Virtual Reality Applications

Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: A rapid review.

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