Contrasting the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Virtual Reality and Real Environments in the Treatment of Acrophobia
Carlos M. Coelho, Carlos Fernandes da Silva, Jorge Almeida Santos, Jennifer Tichon, Guy Wallis · QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) · 2008
Free to read on publisher website Previous studies reported good result s in using virtual reality for the treatment of acrophobia. Similarly this paper reports the use of a virtual environment for the treatment of acrophobia. In the study, 10 subjects were exposed to three sessions of simulated heights in a virtual reality (VR) system, and 5 others were exposed to a real environment. Both groups revealed significant progress in a range of anxiety, avoidance and behaviour measurements when confronted with virtual as well as real height circumstances. Despite VR participants experiencing considerably shorter treatment times than the real-world subjects, significant improvements were recorded on the Behavioural Avoidance Test, the Attitudes Toward Heights Questionnaire and the Acrophobia Questionnaire. These results are suggestive of a possible higher effectiveness and efficiency of VR in treating acrophobia.