Combatting Stress and Anxiety with Virtual Reality

Image Source Doesn't that title already excite you? Unfortunately, I have to get through some boring stuff before I can run my exciting experiment and see the data.  I have been researching past VR experiments to find out what parameters I should include in the planning process. Since this is my first time I creating an official experiment that involves human subjects, I wasn't aware of a large amount of protocol. I am aiming to design my experiment with as much validity as possible for a 17-year-old high-school student, so t he two main articles I had to address were: Institutional Review Board (IRB) Consent forms In order to carry out an official experiment with human participation, the procedure needs to be verified by an IRB: a committee " designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans ." Because I am using students from UAT, which doesn't have an official IRB, I had to run my experiment past the ...

View of the pretty quad between the main building and the dorms For my project, I am working at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) which gives me access to a variety of virtual reality programs. My on-site mentor is Derric Clark, a professor that has specialized in game design and virtual reality for over 20 years. He is also goes by the title "Program Champion of Games Studies." I am also getting guidance from Sharon Bolman, a senior professor who has expertise about the impact of the environment on your mood. Mrs. Gelblicht, my AP psychology teacher, is my faculty mentor from BASIS who also gives me advice about how to plan and run my experiment. The first thing I noticed when I walked in on day one was silence. No, everyone wasn't staring at me as a newbie that entered the school -- there was just no one there! At 9:00 am, the school was pretty much barren, but I later learned from the provost that the school usually doesn't come al...

Image Source Hi everyone! I'm Kristy Taing, and I'm doing my senior project on virtual reality at the University of Advancing Technology. I was interested in studying an interdisciplinary research topic, so I could explore multiple fields. I decided to combine two of my interests: health/wellness and technology. This blog will take you through the design process and results of my project -- come along with me! New applications for virtual reality (VR) technology have revolutionized industry. While devices like Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift are widely used for gaming, there are practical applications of VR technology in the healthcare fields as well. The research aims to investigate the feasibility of using VR technology to reduce anxiety, particularly in the college sphere. Mental health can be easily overlooked during the hustle and excitement of college years. Innovatio n that fa cilitates a smooth lifestyle transition may positively impact students’ well-bei...