“Exploring Spatial Mapping and Threat Learning through Virtual Reality”
Participants in a virtual environment had to collect flowers, some of which delivered electric shocks. The study analyzed learning rates, memory, anxiety, and physiological responses to shocks.
“
In a unique experiment, participants traversed a circular virtual environment, encountering a mix of pleasant and unpleasant surprises while collecting flowers. Unknown to them, the environment harbored safe and perilous areas, each with different odds of receiving an electric shock (35%, 50%, or 60%). After the VR experience, participants were classified as “learners” if they successfully distinguished between safe and dangerous zones. The study revealed that the 50% reinforcement rate task produced the highest number of learners (79.31%), followed by 72.41% for the 60% rate and 50% for the 35% rate tasks.
The analysis extended to a spatial memory task where participants memorized the locations of objects in the virtual environment. Results from a series of trials showed that learners excelled in returning objects to their original positions. Additionally, a comparison of object and location memory between learners and non-learners suggested superior performance among the former. Furthermore, assessments of anxiety levels pre and post-task unveiled intriguing differences between groups, with learners exhibiting lower state anxiety scores than their counterparts.
Skin conductance levels and responses were also scrutinized during different phases of the experiment. Notably, learners displayed lower skin conductance levels and responses compared to non-learners, especially in safe zones. Lastly, expectancy ratings for potential shocks varied significantly between learners and non-learners, with the former showing higher ratings in dangerous zones and lower ratings in safe zones across the experiment’s quarters. Overall, the study shed light on how individuals respond to stimuli and navigate virtual environments based on reinforcement rates and memory capabilities.
Published on: 2025-03-15 00:00:00 | Author:
Source
