Research Roundup (#28)
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Welcome...
Welcome to the twenty-eighth-ever Research Roundup! A fortnightly catch-up on the latest developments in the field of XR research.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks, so let's not hang around.
The Fortnight in 3 (Sentences)
New research on the use of avatars in VR explored whether AI student avatars should be hyper-realistic or follow a "Graduated Realism" framework, whether self-conversations with celebrities could boost exercise habits, and how stress levels affected narrative performance when embodying a Muslim avatar.
Wellbeing and mental health stayed in the spotlight this week asking whether VR-assisted Progressive Muscle Relaxation could match conventional stress reduction, whether VR interventions could reduce needle phobia, and whether immersive VR videos of nature and cities could boost psychological wellbeing through awe.
And finally, research investigating medical applications explored how 360° videos in CBT compared to traditional therapy for social anxiety treatment, whether VR sports could match real exercise for adolescent weight loss, and whether AR could improve ultrasound-guided biopsy accuracy.
The Fortnight in 300 (words)
Whilst we don’t often feature reviews, or theoretical papers, or pre-prints, it felt appropriate to break these unwritten rules when reading this latest research on the use of avatars for pre-service training. Whilst XR continues its slow march it is great to see the nuance of how to make these things really work being explored. The suggestion here is that trainees shouldn't immediately be trained with the most realistic avatars possible instead using a more graduated exposure working through lower realism avatars (think how they look, act, behave and interact) to those that are higher. The paper also provides a framework and architecture for those who are interested. Whilst the idea is intended for pre-service teaching training perhaps food for thought for anyone involved in XR training in any form. Start with low realism and build from there?
What we do often talk about is awe, and this week is no exception. The not-so-slow march of research on awe-inducing experiences continues, this time including an urban environment whilst looking at effects on mental health and wellbeing. As you would now expect, awe-inducing nature scenes were found to reduce measures of state depression, anxiety and negative affect as well as increasing positive affect. In comparison, the urban environment was still found to reduce depression and increase positive affect (which is the novel bit). As the research steadily builds it feels like awe is pushing pain management hard in terms of replication and reliability. It’s an interesting effect, and it’s here to stay.
And finally, it was fascinating to read the work of researchers in China on the use of AR to support ultrasound-guided biopsy of tumours. The team trialled AR overlays and guidance, designed to support the biopsy procedure, with professionals with varying levels of experience. Interestingly, when they were familiar with the procedure experienced professionals gained very little from the AR whilst reporting a significantly higher cognitive load. However, when the procedure was less familiar the gains were significant and the user experience much better. An important reminder that the effectiveness of AR guidance may well depend upon existing expertise and the familiarity of the task. With the bulk of XR research run on non-experts completing unfamiliar tasks (i.e. student populations) it is something we need to be reminded of more.