This page introduces and discusses the main question of if virtual reality can affect real world behaviors. The short answer is yes, virtual reality can affect real world behaviors but, like many questions, the answer is not a simple yes or no. For the purpose of this website, changes in behavior have been split up into two groups: reactive changes and proactive changes. Reactive changes are defined as when a user of VR technology has some form of preexisting experience or belief that the virtual situation or task is trying to change. In other words, the VR setting is trying to change some behavior or idea that the user already has. Proactive changes are defined as when a user has no preexisting experience or belief and the virtual situation or task is trying to teach a behavior or function that can be transferred to the real world.
Reactive Changes
There are many different types of virtual reality scenarios that try to elicit some form of empathetic response in its users. The reason for this being that emotion responses, in the form of empathy, have been shown to have a great effect on changing behavior. One of the most powerful scenarios comes in the form of a virtual reality film "Clouds Over Sidra". This was the first virtual reality film that was screened by the UN to support its campaign to highlight the journey and struggle of vulnerable communities. The film "Clouds Over Sidra" follows a young Syrian refugee as she describes her family and takes the viewer on a journey through the refugee camp in which she, her family, and many others live. During the film, she shows you around a makeshift classroom and among other things watches as other children run around the streets of the camp.
The impact that this film has had is is best explained by looking at the first fundraiser in which it was first shown. During this fundraiser, held in 2015, benefactors raised $3.8 billion, much more than the $2.3 billion estimate. The effect of the film itself may not explicitly be the reason that more money was raised but the reaction from VR films like these is very real and can lead to a lot of positive change when used correctly. After the showing at the fundraiser "Clouds Over Sidra" has been incorporated into the UN launched an app that the UN launched specifically dealing with virtual reality films and the film is already being used to help teach children about the Syrian crisis. |
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Another powerful reactive VR experience was created by Animal Equality, an organization that works to inform consumers about the abuse suffered by animals that are raised and killed for food. A statement on their website states that "The practices that take place inside factory farms and slaughterhouses are kept hidden from the public. Animal Equality defends people's right to know what happens in modern farms and slaughterhouses so that consumers can make informed decisions." The video on the left is part of their series titled iAnimal and it is an immersive experience in which the viewer is transported inside factory farms and slaughterhouses so that they can see what really happens to the animals that are sent there. The reactions, as you can see in this video, are very real and can have a lasting impact on a person's behavior.
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There are also cases of virtual reality environments encouraging altruistic real-world behaviors. Stanford researchers created a program that gave users the ability of flight. For this experiment, participants were divided into two groups: users who controlled where they flew by holding their arms out like Superman or Supergirl and users who flew around in a helicopter. The task in this environment was to fly around and administer an insulin injection to a child who desperately needed it. After the task was complete participants in the study were seated with an experimenter to answer a few questions about the experience. During the interview the experimenter would knock over a cup filled with 15 pens. The experimenter would then slowly start to pick up the pens at a rate of 1 pen per second after a 5 second wait period and take note of if the participant would help with the pen pickup. The results showed that people who had flown as Superman or Supergirl and saved the child were quick to help with the task. The helicopter group was not as quick to start helping but still picked up the pens. Additionally, six of the participants in the helicopter group did not offer any help in picking up the pens. Does this mean that positive VR simulations can transfer to some form of altruistic behavior in the real world? The data does show that this is the case and positive, reactive changes can occur after using virtual reality programs.
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Proactive Changes
As virtual reality has a history of being used to help train people in certain professions it may come as no surprise that many using these training simulations have had little to no experience with the situation they are put in. One example of this proactive VR training can be seen when observing how NASA trains its astronauts for work aboard the ISS. Astronauts must be prepared to live aboard the ISS for long periods of time in an environment with no gravity. For many years NASA has used their Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) to train future astronauts in space-walking procedure. In addition to the space walking procedure, NASA also makes use of zero gravity simulation in the form of controlled airplane dives and climbs.
NASA has begun to use the Unreal Engine to train astronauts. In these virtual realities, astronauts are tasked with completing objectives with certain constraints they might encounter while aboard the ISS. One of the most important aspects of using this type of engine is the physics simulation it is able to produce. As the video states, the more realistic the training, the faster an astronaut can respond to the situation. Thanks to virtual reality, NASA can make sure that astronauts have some amount of experience before they have to perform tasks in zero gravity.
NASA has begun to use the Unreal Engine to train astronauts. In these virtual realities, astronauts are tasked with completing objectives with certain constraints they might encounter while aboard the ISS. One of the most important aspects of using this type of engine is the physics simulation it is able to produce. As the video states, the more realistic the training, the faster an astronaut can respond to the situation. Thanks to virtual reality, NASA can make sure that astronauts have some amount of experience before they have to perform tasks in zero gravity.
Proactive VR training is also being used to help train potential new drivers. VR training for driving is not a new development as many Formula One racers make use of VR training but a slightly newer development is if VR can be used to help regular drivers learn how to drive better. One way that researchers are answering this question is by designing a VR simulator specifically designed to help teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn how to drive. Research has shown that individuals with ASD who are able to drive often make certain mistakes more often than other drivers when learning to drive. This study study makes use of real-time gaze information based on the Vanderbilt VR Adaptive Driving Intervention Architecture (VADIA) to analyze the user and create a method of driving intervention that is unique to each user. The results of this study suggest that this VR intervention and training may be beneficial in teaching driving skills to individuals with ASD.