Objectives:Emotional stress is a significant public health challenge.Virtual reality(VR)offers the potential for aiding emotional recovery.This study explores the impact of VR environment design factors on emotional r...Objectives:Emotional stress is a significant public health challenge.Virtual reality(VR)offers the potential for aiding emotional recovery.This study explores the impact of VR environment design factors on emotional recovery,examining underlying mechanisms through physiological indicators and behavioral responses.Methods:Two experimentswere conducted.Experiment 1 employed a 4[Scene Type:real environment(RE),virtual scenes that restore the RE(VR),virtual scenes that incorporate natural window view design(VR-W),and a no-scene control condition(CTL)]×3(Experimental Phase:baseline,emotion arousal,recovery)mixed design(N=33).Participants viewed a 4-min anxiety-inducing video followed by a 3-min scene exposure.State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form(STAIS),galvanic skin response(GSR),and blood-volume pulse(BVP)frequency were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.Experiment 2 used a 3(Motion-control mode:Unnatural,Semi-natural,Natural)×2(Sound form:Spatial positioning,Surround)×3(Experimental Phase:baseline,emotion arousal,recovery)mixed design(N=42).Presence was analyzed with the Scheirer–Ray–Hare test;phase efficacy was verified with Friedman tests.Results:Experiment 1 showed significant Scene Type×Experimental Phase interactions for GSR(F=8.006,p<0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.624)and BVP frequency(F=11.491,p<0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.704).VR-Wproduced the largest recovery(ΔGSR=–1.26;ΔBVP=–5.80;Hedges g≥0.83)vs.RE and VR.STAI-S returned to baseline across all Scene Types.Experiment 2 revealedmain effects of Motion-control mode(F=8.55,p=0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.32)and Sound form(F=4.35,p=0.044,η^(2)_(p)=0.11)on Presence(Semi-natural+Spatial positioning highest).The greatest physiological recovery occurred with the UnnaturalMotioncontrolmode(GSRH=20.17,p<0.001,ε^(2)=0.49;BVPH=7.92,p=0.019),amplified by Spatial positioning Sound form only in this mode.Design factors did not influence STAI-S change.Conclusions:VR scenes are as restorative as RE;embedding VR-W accelerates recovery.Maximal Presence is not essential:Unnatural Motion-control mode induced the largest physiological recovery,especially combined with Spatial positioning Sound form.展开更多
基金funded by the General Project of the National Social Science Fund(NSSF)of China in Art(Project No.23BG133)the Scientific Research Foundation ofWuhan Institute of Technology(Project No.K2023064)+2 种基金the Open Fund of Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Hubei Province—Research Center for College Students’Development and Innovation Education:“VR Healing Intervention for College Students’Academic Anxiety—VR Healing Based on Intention Dialogue”(Project No.DXS2023017)the Research Project of China Youth and Children Research Society(Project No.2025B11)the Major Strategic Consulting Projects of the Chinese Academy of Engineering between Academy and Local Regions(Project No.2024-DFZD-41).
文摘Objectives:Emotional stress is a significant public health challenge.Virtual reality(VR)offers the potential for aiding emotional recovery.This study explores the impact of VR environment design factors on emotional recovery,examining underlying mechanisms through physiological indicators and behavioral responses.Methods:Two experimentswere conducted.Experiment 1 employed a 4[Scene Type:real environment(RE),virtual scenes that restore the RE(VR),virtual scenes that incorporate natural window view design(VR-W),and a no-scene control condition(CTL)]×3(Experimental Phase:baseline,emotion arousal,recovery)mixed design(N=33).Participants viewed a 4-min anxiety-inducing video followed by a 3-min scene exposure.State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Form(STAIS),galvanic skin response(GSR),and blood-volume pulse(BVP)frequency were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.Experiment 2 used a 3(Motion-control mode:Unnatural,Semi-natural,Natural)×2(Sound form:Spatial positioning,Surround)×3(Experimental Phase:baseline,emotion arousal,recovery)mixed design(N=42).Presence was analyzed with the Scheirer–Ray–Hare test;phase efficacy was verified with Friedman tests.Results:Experiment 1 showed significant Scene Type×Experimental Phase interactions for GSR(F=8.006,p<0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.624)and BVP frequency(F=11.491,p<0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.704).VR-Wproduced the largest recovery(ΔGSR=–1.26;ΔBVP=–5.80;Hedges g≥0.83)vs.RE and VR.STAI-S returned to baseline across all Scene Types.Experiment 2 revealedmain effects of Motion-control mode(F=8.55,p=0.001,η^(2)_(p)=0.32)and Sound form(F=4.35,p=0.044,η^(2)_(p)=0.11)on Presence(Semi-natural+Spatial positioning highest).The greatest physiological recovery occurred with the UnnaturalMotioncontrolmode(GSRH=20.17,p<0.001,ε^(2)=0.49;BVPH=7.92,p=0.019),amplified by Spatial positioning Sound form only in this mode.Design factors did not influence STAI-S change.Conclusions:VR scenes are as restorative as RE;embedding VR-W accelerates recovery.Maximal Presence is not essential:Unnatural Motion-control mode induced the largest physiological recovery,especially combined with Spatial positioning Sound form.