Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking
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Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw · Feb 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparing virtual reality exposure therapy to present-centered therapy with 11 U.S. Vietnam veterans with PTSD.
Eleven Vietnam veterans with war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were randomly assigned to 10 sessions of either virtual reality exposure (VRE) therapy within a computer-generated virtual Vietnam environment or present-centered therapy (PCT) that avoided traumatic content and utilized a problem-solving approach. Participants were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6 months posttreatment by an independent assessor blind to treatment condition. ⋯ Although comparison of mean changes in PTSD symptoms for the VRE and PCT conditions yielded a moderate effect size (d = 0.56) in favor of VRE at 6 months posttreatment, changes in PTSD scores were more variable, and therefore less reliable, within the VRE condition. The utility of VRE with older veterans with PTSD is discussed.
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Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw · Sep 2016
Deception Detection: The Relationship of Levels of Trust and Perspective Taking in Real-Time Online and Offline Communication Environments.
Where humans have been found to detect lies or deception only at the rate of chance in offline face-to-face communication (F2F), computer-mediated communication (CMC) online can elicit higher rates of trust and sharing of personal information than F2F. How do levels of trust and empathetic personality traits like perspective taking (PT) relate to deception detection in real-time CMC compared to F2F? A between groups correlational design (N = 40) demonstrated that, through a paired deceptive conversation task with confederates, levels of participant trust could predict accurate detection online but not offline. ⋯ Finally, this study found that conversation medium also had no effect on deception detection. This study finds support for the effects of the Truth Bias and online disinhibition in deception, and further implications in law enforcement are discussed.
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Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialDifferential effects of two virtual reality interventions: distraction versus pain control.
There is evidence that virtual reality (VR) pain distraction is effective at improving pain-related outcomes. However, more research is needed to investigate VR environments with other pain-related goals. The main aim of this study was to compare the differential effects of two VR environments on a set of pain-related and cognitive variables during a cold pressor experiment. ⋯ The VRD intervention significantly increased the pain threshold and pain tolerance in comparison with the control condition, but it did not affect any of the cognitive variables. Overall, the intervention designed to enhance control seems to have a greater effect on the cognitive variables assessed. Although these results need to be replicated in further studies, the findings suggest that the VRC intervention has considerable potential in terms of increasing self-efficacy and modifying the negative thoughts that commonly accompany pain problems.
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Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialApplication of virtual body swapping to patients with complex regional pain syndrome: a pilot study.
This study aimed to apply virtual body swapping through mental rehearsal for patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and to investigate whether it is applicable to them. Ten patients who met the diagnostic criterion for CRPS type 1 were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. All participants were asked to watch the virtual body swapping training video clip with a head mounted display. ⋯ No difference between the groups was found for pain intensity, however, the treatment group showed significantly more improvement in body perception disturbance (BPD) after the treatment than the control group. Even if the presented study is a preliminary one, the above results suggest that virtual body swapping through mental rehearsal is applicable for patients with CRPS and may be useful for improving BPD. The limitations of the study and the future investigations needed to provide clearer clinical suggestions are presented and discussed.
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Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw · Jun 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialGaming across different consoles: exploring the influence of control scheme on game-player enjoyment.
Many studies have investigated how different technological features impact the experience of playing video games, yet few have focused on how control schemes may affect the play experience. This research employed a between-subjects design to explore the relationship between the type of console played (Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2) and feelings of flow and enjoyment during the game-play experience. ⋯ Further mediation analysis showed that enjoyment was driven by the sense of control that participants experienced and not simply by whether they won the game. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.