Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Department of Psychology, Largo Gemelli, 1, 20123, Milan, Italy.
IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, via Magnasco, 2, 20149, Milan, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 27;7(1):1218. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01242-0.
Awe, a complex emotion composed by the appraisal components of vastness and need for accommodation, is a profound and often meaningful experience. Despite its importance, psychologists have only recently begun empirical study of awe. At the experimental level, a main issue concerns how to elicit high intensity awe experiences in the lab. To address this issue, Virtual Reality (VR) has been proposed as a potential solution. Here, we considered the highest realistic form of VR: immersive videos. 42 participants watched at immersive and normal 2D videos displaying an awe or a neutral content. After the experience, they rated their level of awe and sense of presence. Participants' psychophysiological responses (BVP, SC, sEMG) were recorded during the whole video exposure. We hypothesized that the immersive video condition would increase the intensity of awe experienced compared to 2D screen videos. Results indicated that immersive videos significantly enhanced the self-reported intensity of awe as well as the sense of presence. Immersive videos displaying an awe content also led to higher parasympathetic activation. These findings indicate the advantages of using VR in the experimental study of awe, with methodological implications for the study of other emotions.
敬畏是一种由广阔和需要适应的评价成分组成的复杂情感，是一种深刻而常常有意义的体验。尽管它很重要，但心理学家最近才开始对敬畏进行实证研究。在实验层面上，一个主要问题是如何在实验室中引起高强度的敬畏体验。为了解决这个问题，虚拟现实（VR）被提出作为一种潜在的解决方案。在这里，我们考虑了最高现实形式的 VR：沉浸式视频。42 名参与者观看了沉浸式和正常 2D 视频，展示了敬畏或中性内容。体验后，他们对自己的敬畏程度和存在感进行了评分。参与者的生理心理反应（BVP、SC、sEMG）在整个视频暴露过程中被记录下来。我们假设沉浸式视频条件会比 2D 屏幕视频增加体验到的敬畏强度。结果表明，沉浸式视频显著提高了自我报告的敬畏强度和存在感。展示敬畏内容的沉浸式视频还导致了更高的副交感神经激活。这些发现表明了在敬畏的实验研究中使用 VR 的优势，并对其他情绪的研究具有方法学意义。
