Phone-based virtual exploration of green space increases positive affect in students with test anxiety: a pre-post experimental study with qualitative insights
IF 4.4 3区 计算机科学Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS
Alison O’Meara, Tadgh Connery, Jason Chan, Cleidi Hearn, Marica Cassarino, Annalisa Setti
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Nature confers a host of benefits including recovering from stress, replenishing attentional resources, improving mood, and decreasing negative thinking. Virtual nature, i.e. exposure to natural environments through technological means, has proven to also be efficacious in producing benefits, although more limitedly. Previous studies with immersive virtual reality with university students have shown that one bout of virtual nature can reduce negative affect in students with high test anxiety and can reduce feeling of worry and panic after several weeks of daily exposure. The present study aimed at replicating the effect of one bout of virtual nature on affect and extend it to cognition in a sample of university students with different levels of test anxiety. An inexpensive goggle + phone apparatus was utilized and the one bout of virtual nature was self-administered. 48 university students took part in the study, randomized between viewing a 360 degrees video of nature or of an urban environment. They completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the Cognitive Reflection Test before and after the exposure to the virtual environments and responded to open-ended questions about their experience of the intervention. Results showed improvements in positive affect in students with higher anxiety were obtained in the nature condition, no other effects were found. Qualitative appraisal indicated that participants in the nature condition felt more relaxed and focused, however the technical issues were detrimental to the benefits. In conclusion one bout of virtual nature could support students with higher test anxiety when confronted with examinations.
期刊介绍:
The journal, established in 1995, publishes original research in Virtual Reality, Augmented and Mixed Reality that shapes and informs the community. The multidisciplinary nature of the field means that submissions are welcomed on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to:
Original research studies of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and real-time visualization applications
Development and evaluation of systems, tools, techniques and software that advance the field, including:
Display technologies, including Head Mounted Displays, simulators and immersive displays
Haptic technologies, including novel devices, interaction and rendering
Interaction management, including gesture control, eye gaze, biosensors and wearables
Tracking technologies
VR/AR/MR in medicine, including training, surgical simulation, rehabilitation, and tissue/organ modelling.
Impactful and original applications and studies of VR/AR/MR’s utility in areas such as manufacturing, business, telecommunications, arts, education, design, entertainment and defence
Research demonstrating new techniques and approaches to designing, building and evaluating virtual and augmented reality systems
Original research studies assessing the social, ethical, data or legal aspects of VR/AR/MR.