Sandra Poeschl

Integration of spatial sound in immersive virtual environments an experimental study on effects of spatial sound on presence

Sound is an important part of an immersive virtual environment, contributing to immersion, presence, and user performance. The experimental study presented analyzed the effect of spatial-sound vs. no-sound display on presence experienced in a 3D virtual scene. Results indicate a medium to strong effect of spatial sound, leading to higher levels of presence experienced.

Virtual training for Fear of Public Speaking — Design of an audience for immersive virtual environments

Virtual Reality technology offers great possibilities for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Fear of Public Speaking: Clients can be exposed to virtual fear-triggering stimuli (exposure) and are able to role-play in virtual environments, training social skills to overcome their fear. This poster deals with the design of a realistic virtual presentation scenario based on an observation of a real audience.

Comparing VR and non-VR driving simulations: An experimental user study

Up to now, most driving simulators use either small monitors or large immersive projection setups like 2D/3D screens or a CAVE. The recent improvements of VR-HMDs led to an increased application in driving simulation. However, the influence and comparability of various VR and non-VR displays has been hardly investigated. We present results of a user study investigating the different influence of non-VR (2D, stereoscopic 3D) and VR (HMD) on physiological responses, simulation sickness, and driving performance within a single driving simulator. In the study, 94 participants performed the Lane Change Task. Results indicate that a VR-HMD leads to similar data as stereoscopic 3D or 2D screens. We observed no significant difference regarding physiological responses or lane change performance. However, we measured significantly increased simulator sickness in the VR-HMD condition compared to stereoscopic 3D.

Virtual Reality Training for Public Speaking—A QUEST-VR Framework Validation

Good public speaking skills are essential in many professions as well as everyday life, but speech anxiety is a common problem. While it is established that public speaking training in Virtual Reality is effective, comprehensive studies on the underlying factors that contribute to this success are rare. The QUEST-VR framework for evaluation of VR applications is presented that includes system features, user factors, and moderating variables. Based on this framework, variables that are postulated to influence the quality of a public speaking training application were selected for a first validation study. In a cross-sectional, repeated measures laboratory study (N = 36 undergraduate students; 36% men, 64% women, mean age = 26.42 years (SD = 3.42)), the effects of task difficulty (independent variable), ability to concentrate, fear of public speaking, and social presence (covariates) on public speaking performance (dependent variable) in a virtual training scenario were analyzed, using stereoscopic visualization on a screen. The results indicate that the covariates moderate the effect of task difficulty on speech performance, turning it into a non-significant effect. Further interrelations are explored. The presenter’s reaction to the virtual agents in the audience shows a tendency of overlap of explained variance with task difficulty. This underlines the need for more studies dedicated to the interaction of contributing factors for determining the quality of VR public speaking applications.

The effects of olfaction on training transfer for an assembly task

Context-dependent memory studies have indicated that olfaction, the sense of smell, has a special odor memory that can significantly improve recall in some cases. Virtual reality (VR), which has been investigated as a training tool, could feasibly benefit from odor memory by incorporating olfactory stimuli. There have been a few studies on this concept for semantic learning, but not for procedural training. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigated the effects of olfaction on the transfer of knowledge from training to next-day execution for building a complex LEGO jet-plane model. Our results indicate that the pleasantness of an odor significantly affects training transfer more than whether the encoding and recall contexts match.

Responsive audiences — Nonverbal cues as reactions to a speaker's behavior

Presentation skills that involve public speaking are an asset that many recognize to be important for their careers or during their study. One way to learn how to maintain eye contact and address clearly as a speaker is to use virtual audiences (VA) that simulate the reactions of a live public. A mixed-methods exploratory study has been conducted to conceptualize the design of such a VA. The purpose was to research how the nonverbal cues of live audiences vary depending on a speakers gaze patterns (gazing towards the audience vs. gazing towards the presentation slides or notes) and vocal loudness (low vs. normal). 36 students (listeners) were videotaped during a public speaking situation. The analysis shows that the speakers gaze patterns and vocal loudness influenced several nonverbal cues the audience displayed. The results could be implemented in the design of VAs by making them responsive in real time to variations in gazing patterns and voice loudness of the speakers (trainees).

Virtual speech anxiety training — Effects of simulation fidelity on user experience

Realistic models in VR training applications are considered to positively influence presence and performance. The experimental study presented analyzed the effect of simulation fidelity (static vs. animated audience) on presence, perceived realism, and anxiety in a virtual speech anxiety training application. No influence on presence and perceived realism was shown, although an animated audience led to significantly higher effects in anxiety during giving a talk.

Virtual audience customization for public speaking training procedures

Virtual reality (VR) applications for fear of public speaking pose several design challenges with regard to the adaptability of the scenarios to the training/treatment requirements of each person. The present study focuses on three major aspects identified in literature that would help customize the virtual audience for fear of public speaking applications: interaction, group dynamics, and personalization. Eight experts from VR-related fields of study have been interviewed to share the expertise on how to achieve and implement these aspects.