Virtual reality (VR) promises methodological rigour with the extra benefit of allowing us to study the context‐dependent behaviour of individuals in their natural environment. Pan and Hamilton (2018, Br. J. Psychol.) provide a useful overview of methodological recommendations for using VR. Here, we highlight some other aspects of the use of VR. Our first argument is that VR can be useful by virtue of its differences from the normal perceptual environment. That is, by virtue of its relative non‐realism and poverty of its perceptual elements, it can actually offer increased clarity with respect to the features of interest for the researcher. Our second argument is that VR exerts its measurable influence more by eliciting an acceptance of the virtual world (i.e., ‘suspension of disbelief’) rather than by eliciting a true belief of the realism of the VR environment. We conclude by providing a novel suggestion for combining neuroimaging methods with embodied VR that relies on the suspension of disbelief.


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    Title :

    Virtual reality and the new psychophysics


    Contributors:
    de Gelder, B (author) / Katsyri, J (author) / de Borst, AW (author)

    Publication date :

    2018-08-01


    Remarks:

    British Journal of Psychology , 109 (3) pp. 421-426. (2018)


    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    DDC:    629



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