Leveraging Virtual Humans to Effectively Prepare Learners for Stressful Interpersonal Experiences

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 662 - 670
• Main Authors: Robb, A., Kopper, R., Ambani, R., Qayyum, F., Lind, D., Li-Ming Su, Lok, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.04.2013
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Computer Graphics; Computer Simulation; Computer-Assisted Instruction - methods; Digital Rectal Examination - methods; Digital Rectal Examination - psychology; Educational institutions; Female; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Interviews; Male; Measurement; mixed reality; Models, Biological; Prostate cancer; Stress; Stress, Psychological - diagnosis; Stress, Psychological - prevention & control; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Students, Medical; Training; user studies; User-Computer Interface; Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy - methods; Virtual/digital characters
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2013.35

Stressful interpersonal experiences can be difficult to prepare for. Virtual humans may be leveraged to allow learners to safely gain exposure to stressful interpersonal experiences. In this paper we present a between-subjects study exploring how the presence of a virtual human affected learners while practicing a stressful interpersonal experience. Twenty-six fourth-year medical students practiced performing a prostate exam on a prostate exam simulator. Participants in the experimental condition examined a simulator augmented with a virtual human. Other participants examined a standard unaugmented simulator. Participants reactions were assessed using self-reported, behavioral, and physiological metrics. Participants who examined the virtual human experienced significantly more stress, measured via skin conductance. Participants stress was correlated with previous experience performing real prostate exams; participants who had performed more real prostate exams were more likely to experience stress while examining the virtual human. Participants who examined the virtual human showed signs of greater engagement; non-stressed participants performed better prostate exams while stressed participants treated the virtual human more realistically. Results indicated that stress evoked by virtual humans is linked to similar previous real-world stressful experiences, implying that learners real-world experience must be taken into account when using virtual humans to prepare them for stressful interpersonal experiences.