Effectof Virtual Reality on Perception PDF

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a short report on the effects of Virtual Reality on our Perception, its role in psychology, future scope, pros and cons, etc...

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A SEMINAR REPORT ON Effect of Virtual Reality (VR) on Human Perception Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Award of the degree of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur SESSION 2021 – 2022 SUBMITTED TO

Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur

GUIDED BY: Dr. Ekta Acharya

SUBMITTED BY Sahil Dharwani

University Science and Instrumentation Centre Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur

CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the present Seminar Report on “Effect of Virtual Reality (VR) on Human Perception” is submitted by Sahil Dharwani to the USIC, JNVU, Jodhpur for the degree of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA). He has completed this work under my supervision and no part of this report has been submitted for the issue of any other degree.

We recommend that this may be accepted for the issue of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA).

Date: Place: JNVU New Campus, Jodhpur

Dr. Ekta Acharya Guide

Dr. Hem Singh Gehlot BCA Coordinator

Prof S. K Barbar BCA Director

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Sometimes words fall short to show gratitude, same was the case with me. The immense help and support received from my faculty and guide Dr. Ekta Acharya was a motivating experience which helped me throughout the preparation of this Presentation. My sincere gratitude to, Prof. S.K Barbar(Director- BCA Course), for providing me with an opportunity to study and research the topic in University library. I am highly indebted to our BCA Coordinator Dr. Hem Singh Gehlot, and all the faculty members, who have sincerely supported me with valuable insights. Last but not the least, my heartfelt regards for my parents whose constant support and blessings helped me throughout the preparations.

Sahil Dharwani, BCA Final year

Contents Review of Literature .......................................................................................... 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 2 Extended Reality (XR) ......................................................................................... 5 Augmented Reality (AR) .................................................................................. 6 Mixed Reality (MR) ......................................................................................... 7 Virtual Reality (VR) .......................................................................................... 8 Uses of Virtual Reality .................................................................................. 9 Perception ....................................................................................................... 11 Importance of Perception ............................................................................. 12 Perception described by Different Authors ................................................... 13 Types of Perception ...................................................................................... 14 1. Visual: .................................................................................................. 14 2. Hearing or Auditory: ............................................................................ 14 3. Touch or Haptic: .................................................................................. 14 4. Olfactory or Smell: ............................................................................... 14 5. Taste: ................................................................................................... 14 Uses of VR in Psychology .................................................................................15 VR Exposure Therapy and Phobias ................................................................ 15 Treatment of Disorders ................................................................................. 16 PTSD .......................................................................................................... 16 Anxiety....................................................................................................... 17

Depression................................................................................................. 17 Using Virtual Reality to Understand Perception ............................................... 18 Space and Movement perception in VR ........................................................ 18 Control over the Visual Scene ....................................................................... 20 Pros of Virtual Reality ......................................................................................21 Cons of Virtual Reality...................................................................................... 22 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 23 Glossary ........................................................................................................... 24 References ....................................................................................................... 25

Review of Literature [1] L. Gregg and N. Tarrier, “Virtual reality in mental health: a review of the literature,” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 42, no. 5, 2007. [2] S. Scozzari and L. Gamberini, “Virtual reality as a tool for cognitive behavioural therapy: a review,” in Advanced Computational Intelligence Paradigms in Healthcare. [3] E. Glotzbach, H. Ewald, M. Andreatta, P. Pauli, and A. M¨uhlberger, “Contextual fear conditioning predicts subsequent avoidance behaviour in a virtual reality environment,” Cognition & Emotion, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 1256–1272, 2012. [4] D. A. Bowman and R. P. McMahan, “Virtual reality: how much immersion is enough?” Computer, vol. 40, no. 7, 2007. [5] C. J. Bohil, B. Alicea, and F. A. Biocca, “Virtual reality in neuroscience research and therapy,” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. 752–762, 2011. [6] N. Firth, “First wave of virtual reality games will let you live the dream,” New Scientist, vol. 218, no. 2922, pp. 19–20, 2013. [7] A.M.Grinberg, J. S. Careaga, M. R. Mehl, andM.-F.O’Connor, “Social engagement and user immersion in a socially based virtual world,” Computers in Human Behaviour, vol. 36, pp. 479–486, 2014.

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Introduction The increase in availability virtual reality (VR) tools has Seen increased use in experimental psychology settings over the last twenty years. For the researcher and Psychologist, VR is compelling due to the almost limitless possibilities for the creation of stimuli and this has led to spread of VR into domains Such as clinical and developmental psychology, which one might not have initially anticipated. Once considered to be an “answer without a question,” VR is now gaining popularity as an experimental tool. However, in addition to the many advantages associated with the use of VR, there remain some drawbacks and ongoing questions that must be addressed. Of course, the relative importance of these issues is dependent entirely on the particular use case; while presence may be important in a clinical setting, for example, issues with space perception may limit the accuracy of a task which is physical in nature. Similarly, in the experimental examination of visual perception, potential differences between actual and virtual reality can either be advantageous or detrimental. In this report I hope to provide a brief overview of the effects, benefits and challenges associated with VR in psychology research and discuss its utility in relation to the examination of visual perception. The term VR is often used interchangeably to refer to one of three types of system: a virtual environment presented on a flat screen, a roombased system such as a CAVE, or HMDs. Though all three systems are quite different, a common feature of all three is the introduction of stereoscopic depth, which creates the illusion that the viewer is seeing objects in a virtual space. This offers a number of immediate advantages to the researcher: greater control over stimulus presentation, variety in response options, and potentially increased 2

ecological validity. This has led to increased use of VR as a research tool across many psychological domains such as psychotherapy, sports psychology, and social interaction. The most apparent advantage of VR is the ability to present stimuli in three dimensions. This offers specific benefits depending on the research domain. In clinical research VR is used to create complex scenarios, such as simulating exposure to a phobic stimulus, where the form and frequency of the exposure can be manipulated with absolute precision. These examples highlight the difference between VR stimulus presentation and traditional experimental procedures: in VR the participant responds to relevant or particular stimuli while immersed in a larger virtual environment which can itself be controlled. This differs from traditional experimental contexts where the relevant stimuli may be controlled to an extent but the surrounding environment often cannot be. Of course, if VR were only a visual medium, then it could be argued that its only advantage over traditional experimental protocols is the ability to present visual stimuli along a third dimensional plane. However, as VR technology has advanced, many VR research studies now include varying level and combinations of multimodal sensory input, allowing audio, haptic, olfactory, and motion to be experienced simultaneously to the graphically rendered environment or objects .This greatly increases the user’s sense of immersion in the virtual environment and allows the experimenter to create protocols that would not otherwise be possible. For example, exposure therapy is a common method employed in the treatment of anxiety disorders

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which, in the case of PTSD, may be difficult to implement for logistical or safety reasons. To overcome these issues, multimodal VR has been employed to create a virtual replica of a warzone, complete with audio and haptic feedback, to treat PTSD in war veterans. Where phenomena are known to occur due to a confluence of sensory data (e.g., audio and visual), multimodal VR enables the researcher to manipulate each input separately to gain a more accurate understanding of the relative contribution of each. For example, a recent study by Keshavarz ET employed this technique to assess the effects of auditory and visual cues on the perception of vection and resultant motion sickness in participants. Finally, multimodal environments are associated with faster mental processing times of discrete stimulus events, potentially because they provide the user with more complete information about the environment. VR environments have also been used recently to examine the avoidance behaviour, a central component of fear that contributes to the maintenance of anxiety disorders. While many studies have examined the physiological and self-report aspects of fear, few have been able to examine the associated avoidance of, for example, the context or environment that elicits the fear response. Glotzbach et were able to directly examine avoidance behaviour by conditioning participants to be afraid of particular virtual environments and recording the extent to which they avoided returning to those environments later in the study

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Extended Reality (XR)

Extended Reality (XR) is umbrella term for all the immersive technologies. The ones we already have today— Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR). All immersive technologies that extend the reality we experience by either blending the virtual and “real” worlds together or by creating a fully immersive virtual experience. The concept of XR has been around much longer than most people realise – since Charles Wyckoff filed a patent for an XR film in the 1960s. It’s only recently companies have begun to really unlock the potential of the XR landscape, all thanks to the technology we now have access too. Smartphones capable of tracking everything from eye movement to positioning are paving the way for “AR.” Intelligent sensors and ultra-high-definition lenses are introducing us to new examples of “VR”. Companies are rapidly developing supporting technologies for XR platforms, ranging from high-performance handsfree headsets to AI-enabled tools for capturing information and translating it into extended reality environments. 5

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality, or “AR”, is exactly what you would expect – technology designed to augment (i.e. Enhance) your reality. Unlike virtual reality, in which users step into new virtual worlds, AR brings digital content into your existing environment. An Augmented Reality application will implement visual, auditory, and other sensory information into the world to enhance your experience. AR has emerged as one of the fastest-growing XR technologies, in part because of its accessibility. Many of today’s consumers already have a tool they can use to access augmented reality in their pockets. Smartphones, with their intelligent processing power and high-quality cameras, are the perfect platform for AR. Of course, they’re not the only way to experience augmentation. Today’s AR innovators are also beginning to develop AR glasses, or “smart glasses” for augmented reality too. More than just a tool for smartphone games, Augmented Reality has rapidly begun to demonstrate its value in recent years in various use cases – from assisting surgeons with procedures, to helping engineers and mechanics use advanced technology in the field. One of the prime 6

examples of AR most people are familiar with is “Pokémon Go,” an app which allows users to hunt specific creatures and see them in the real world through their smartphone.

Mixed Reality (MR)

Mixed Reality (MR) combines elements of both real and virtual environments and creates a new world where physical and synthetic objects come together and interact. Also, these objects can react to each other on a real-time basis. Flexibility is a key characteristic of this type of reality. That is why “mixed” environments compile the best attributes of each of the worlds – real and synthetic. Also, it makes the best use of augmented reality and virtual reality. MR allows users to see the real world alongside with some virtual objects that are anchored to a certain real point, which enables users to treat them as real objects. Mixed Reality actually merges the two environments to produce new visualisations, opportunities, and interactions. With mixed reality, you can have holographic meetings with colleagues, or interact with a digital twin of a product for quick innovation. Mixed Reality is still in its early 7

stages, but companies like Microsoft are introducing us to new possibilities all the time. Microsoft’s HoloLens is only Mixed Reality device available in the market.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual Reality, or “VR” is the term used to refer to technology which enables interactions with virtual “digital” worlds a.k.a. the computersimulated reality, VR is a technology that allows humans to immerse into a reality that is entirely different from a real one or that replicates reality. In other words, it builds a digital reality that replaces a user’s real-world one. Enabled by specific headsets, virtual reality provides an environment with realistic images and sounds, while a comprehensive VR environment involves all five senses, with virtual 8

reality, developers and hardware creators build experiences in the real world which submerge us into a virtual world. There’s a lot of hardware involved in the successful use of virtual reality. Unlike AR, which can be accessed through smartphones. Virtual reality relies on the use of headsets and controllers to enable interaction with the virtual world. The better the sensors, headsets, and hardware used in VR experiences, the more immersive it becomes. The VR headset has evolved significantly over the years, from a clunky tool which requires constant connectivity to a computer system, to a standalone solution designed for more lightweight experiences. Virtual reality solutions allow you to enter an immersive world built using computer software. When you turn your head, move your hand, or interact with something, your VR system can detect those movements. Successful virtual reality requires the careful alignment of highly compelling software experiences and apps, matched with comfortable headsets and powerful hardware.

Uses of Virtual Reality Entertainment: Many of the initial innovations in VR began with entertainment and the video game sector. Moving forward, we’ll continue to see a large number of companies experimenting with VR entertainment, in things like immersive games, movies and events.

Collaboration: Particularly in the post-pandemic age, VR has excellent potential for collaboration and team work. With virtual reality, people can share a virtual space, work together on projects, and innovate without having to be face-to-face. This is an exciting step forward from video conferencing, as it enables a greater sense of presence.

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Travel and tourism: Travel companies began to invest in virtual reality during the pandemic as a way of helping customers to try visiting a destination before they booked a vacation. While virtual vacations may not replace real travel, they do open the door to an interesting way of seeing the world.

Creation: In virtual reality innovators can experiment with digital twins of products, combine materials, and explore ideas, all without worrying about expense or waste. It’s extremely easy to create prototypes and new products using virtual reality.

Medicine: Techniques in virtual reality are increasingly being utilized in medical education, treatment and diagnosis. Early adoptions of virtual reality in the field of medicine pertained to representation of intricate data emanating from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT). Recently, virtual reality has been applied to virtual colonoscopy which is utilized to present a "fly-through of the colon" which is then used for screening for colon cancer. Phobias and post-traumatic stress disorders are also being treated now using virtual reality, virtual environments for the treatment of agoraphobia. In particular, training for medical students are enhanced by the use of a virtual psychosis environment, wherein they have the opportunity to experience visual and auditory hallucinations of schizophrenic patients.

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Perception

Perception refers to the way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and consciously experienced. Perception involves both bottom-up and top-down processing. Bottom-up processing refers to the fact that perceptions are built from sensory input. On the other hand, how we interpret those sensations is influenced by our available knowledge, our experiences, and our thoughts. This is called topdown processing. In other words, Perception is the process through which the information from outside environment is selected, received, organised and interpreted to make it meaningful to you. This input of meaningful information results in decisions and actions. Perception is determined by both physiological and psychological characteristics of the human being whereas sensation is conceived with only the physiological features. Thus, perception is not just what one sees with the eyes it is a much more complex process by which an individual selectively absorbs or assimilates the stimuli in the environment, cognitively organizes the perceived information in a specific fashion and then interprets the information to make an assessment about what is going on in one’s environment. 11

Perception is a subjective process, therefore, different people may perceive the same environment differently based on what particular aspects of the situation they choos...