ORCID Profile
0000-0001-5646-8778
Current Organisation
University of Adelaide
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Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-10-2021
DOI: 10.3390/S21206817
Abstract: Immersive virtual reality (VR) can cause acute sickness, visual disturbance, and balance impairment. Some manufacturers recommend intermittent breaks to overcome these issues however, limited evidence examining whether this is beneficial exists. The aim of this study was to examine whether taking breaks during VR gaming reduced its effect on postural sway during standing balance assessments. Twenty-five people participated in this crossover design study, performing 50 min of VR gaming either continuously or with intermittent 10 min exposure/rest intervals. Standing eyes open, two-legged balance assessments were performed immediately pre-, immediately post- and 40 min post-exposure. The primary outcome measure was total path length secondary measures included independent axis path velocity, litude, standard deviation, discrete and continuous wavelet transform-derived variables, and detrended fluctuation analysis. Total path length was significantly (p 0.05) reduced immediately post-VR gaming exposure in the intermittent rest break group both in comparison to within-condition baseline values and between-condition timepoint results. Conversely, it remained consistent across timepoints in the continuous exposure group. These changes consisted of a more clustered movement speed pattern about a lower central frequency, evidenced by signal frequency content. These findings indicate that caution is required before recommending rest breaks during VR exposure until we know more about how balance and falls risk are affected.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 08-02-2019
Abstract: Objective: The present study investigates skill transfer from Virtual Reality (VR) sports training to the real world, using the fast-paced sport of table tennis.Background: A key assumption of VR training is that the learned skills and experiences transfer to the real world. Yet, in certain application areas, such as VR sports training, the research testing this assumption is sparse.Design: Real-world table tennis performance was assessed using a mixed-model analysis of variance. The analysis comprised a between-subjects (VR training group vs control group) and a within-subjects (pre- and post-training) factor. Method: Fifty-seven participants (23 females) were either assigned to a VR training group (n = 29) or no-training control group (n = 28). During VR training, participants were immersed in competitive table tennis matches against an artificial intelligence opponent. An expert table tennis coach evaluated participants on real-world table tennis playing before and after the training phase. Blinded regarding participant's group assignment, the expert assessed participants’ backhand, forehand and serving on quantitative aspects (e.g. count of rallies without errors) and quality of skill aspects (e.g. technique and consistency).Results: VR training significantly improved participants’ real-world table tennis performance compared to a no-training control group in both quantitative (p& .001, partial eta2 = .301) and quality of skill assessments (p& .001, Cohen’s d = 1.10).Conclusions: This study adds to a sparse yet expanding literature, demonstrating real-world skill transfer from Virtual Reality in an athletic task.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.BANDC.2015.08.005
Abstract: Our ability to process information about an object's location in depth varies along the horizontal and vertical axes. These variations reflect functional specialisation of the cerebral hemispheres as well as the ventral/dorsal visual streams for processing stimuli located in near and far space. Prior research has demonstrated visual field superiorities for processing near space in the lower and right hemispaces and for far space in the upper and left hemispaces. No research, however, has directly tested whether the functional specialisation of the visual fields actually makes objects look closer when presented in the lower or right visual fields. To measure biases in the perception of depth, we employed anaglyph stimuli where participants made closer/further judgments about the relative location of two spheres in a three-dimensional virtual space. We observed clear processing differences in this task where participants perceived the right and lower spheres to be closer and the left and upper spheres to be further away. Furthermore, no relationship between the horizontal and vertical dimensions was observed suggesting separate cognitive/neural mechanisms. Not only does this methodology clearly demonstrate differences in perceived depth across the visual field, it also opens up many possibilities for studying functional asymmetries in three-dimensional space.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 23-10-2020
DOI: 10.2196/19840
Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) exergaming has the potential to target sedentary behavior. Immersive environments can distract users from the physical exertion of exercise and can motivate them to continue exergaming. Despite the recent surge in VR popularity, numerous users still experience VR sickness from using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Apart from the commonly assessed self-reported symptoms, depth perception and cognition may also be affected. Considering the potential benefits of VR exergaming, it is crucial to identify the adverse effects limiting its potential and continued uptake. This study aims to investigate the consequences of playing one of the most popular VR exergames for 10 and 50 min on aspects of vision, cognition, and self-reported VR sickness. A total of 36 participants played an exergame, called Beat Saber, using an HMD. A repeated measures within-subject design was conducted to assess changes in vision, cognition, and well-being after short (10 min) and long (50 min) durations of VR exposure. We measured accommodation, convergence, decision speed, movement speed, and self-reported sickness at 3 test periods—before VR, immediately after VR, and 40 min after VR (late). Beat Saber was well tolerated, as there were no dropouts due to sickness. For most participants, any immediate aftereffects were short-lived and returned to baseline levels after 40 min of exiting VR. For both short and long exposures, there were changes in accommodation (F1,35=8.424 P=.006) and convergence (F1,35=7.826 P=.008) however, in the late test period, participants returned to baseline levels. Measures on cognition revealed no concern. The total simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) scores increased immediately after VR (F1,35=26.515 P .001) and were significantly higher for long compared with short exposures (t35=2.807 P=.03), but there were no differences in exposure duration in the late test period, with scores returning to baseline levels. Although at a group level, participants’ sickness levels returned to baseline 40 min after VR exposure, approximately 14% of the participants still reported high levels of sickness in the late test period after playing 50 min of Beat Saber. We also showed that the participants who experienced a high level of sickness after a short exposure were almost certain to experience a high level of symptoms after a longer exposure. Irrespective of the duration of exposure, this study found no strong evidence for adverse symptoms 40 min after exiting VR however, some in iduals still reported high levels of VR sickness at this stage. We recommend that users commit to a waiting period after exiting VR to ensure that any aftereffects have deteriorated. Exergames in HMDs have the potential to encourage people to exercise but are understudied, and the aftereffects of exergaming need to be closely monitored to ensure that VR exergames can reach their full potential.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 10-09-2019
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 20-10-2021
Abstract: eople with Down syndrome face various learning challenges. Introducing new and enjoyable experiences in learning settings may improve learning outcomes. Immersive and interactive technologies such as virtual reality can be used to deliver rich visual experiences in classrooms. he aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and benefits of virtual reality exposure for people with Down syndrome in learning settings. o address this aim, we used a within-subjects design to assess the effect of a brief virtual reality drawing experience and conventional drawing experience on subsequent behavior in 16 participants. arge positive effects were found for virtual reality drawing ( i t /i sub /sub =5.020, i P /i & .001) and conventional drawing ( i t /i sub /sub =3.720, i P /i =.002) in improving subsequent behavior in a learning setting. Irrespective of the intervention, the participant’s mood, attention, and overall behavior significantly improved. No significant differences were found between the interventions ( i t /i sub /sub i =– /i .648 i P /i =.53). his study’s results are encouraging for researchers and educators interested in using virtual reality for people with Down syndrome, as virtual reality was found to be highly feasible. Recommendations are made for researchers and educators interested in providing virtual reality experiences for people with Down syndrome.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 04-05-2020
Abstract: irtual reality (VR) exergaming has the potential to target sedentary behavior. Immersive environments can distract users from the physical exertion of exercise and can motivate them to continue exergaming. Despite the recent surge in VR popularity, numerous users still experience VR sickness from using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Apart from the commonly assessed self-reported symptoms, depth perception and cognition may also be affected. Considering the potential benefits of VR exergaming, it is crucial to identify the adverse effects limiting its potential and continued uptake. his study aims to investigate the consequences of playing one of the most popular VR exergames for 10 and 50 min on aspects of vision, cognition, and self-reported VR sickness. total of 36 participants played an exergame, called Beat Saber, using an HMD. A repeated measures within-subject design was conducted to assess changes in vision, cognition, and well-being after short (10 min) and long (50 min) durations of VR exposure. We measured accommodation, convergence, decision speed, movement speed, and self-reported sickness at 3 test periods—before VR, immediately after VR, and 40 min after VR (late). eat Saber was well tolerated, as there were no dropouts due to sickness. For most participants, any immediate aftereffects were short-lived and returned to baseline levels after 40 min of exiting VR. For both short and long exposures, there were changes in accommodation ( i F /i sub ,35 /sub =8.424 i P /i =.006) and convergence ( i F /i sub ,35 /sub =7.826 i P /i =.008) however, in the late test period, participants returned to baseline levels. Measures on cognition revealed no concern. The total simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) scores increased immediately after VR ( i F /i sub ,35 /sub =26.515 i P /i & .001) and were significantly higher for long compared with short exposures ( i t /i sub /sub =2.807 i P /i =.03), but there were no differences in exposure duration in the late test period, with scores returning to baseline levels. Although at a group level, participants’ sickness levels returned to baseline 40 min after VR exposure, approximately 14% of the participants still reported high levels of sickness in the late test period after playing 50 min of Beat Saber. We also showed that the participants who experienced a high level of sickness after a short exposure were almost certain to experience a high level of symptoms after a longer exposure. rrespective of the duration of exposure, this study found no strong evidence for adverse symptoms 40 min after exiting VR however, some in iduals still reported high levels of VR sickness at this stage. We recommend that users commit to a waiting period after exiting VR to ensure that any aftereffects have deteriorated. Exergames in HMDs have the potential to encourage people to exercise but are understudied, and the aftereffects of exergaming need to be closely monitored to ensure that VR exergames can reach their full potential. >
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-12-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S00221-015-4504-5
Abstract: Research suggests that the left cerebral hemisphere is predisposed for processing stimuli in 'near' space, whereas the right hemisphere is specialised for processing stimuli in 'far' space. This hypothesis was tested directly by asking 25 undergraduates to carry out a landmark radial line bisection task. To test the effect of hemispheric differences in processing, the lines were placed to the left, right or centre within the transverse plane. Consistent with predictions, lines in all three conditions were bisected distal to the true centre. More importantly, there was an asymmetry whereby the distal bias was stronger for lines presented in the left hemispace compared to the right hemispace. The results demonstrate that the perception of depth is affected by left/right placement along the lateral axis and highlight the cognitive/neural interplay between the radial and lateral axes.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 07-04-2022
DOI: 10.2196/34373
Abstract: People with Down syndrome face various learning challenges. Introducing new and enjoyable experiences in learning settings may improve learning outcomes. Immersive and interactive technologies such as virtual reality can be used to deliver rich visual experiences in classrooms. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and benefits of virtual reality exposure for people with Down syndrome in learning settings. To address this aim, we used a within-subjects design to assess the effect of a brief virtual reality drawing experience and conventional drawing experience on subsequent behavior in 16 participants. Large positive effects were found for virtual reality drawing (t15=5.020, P .001) and conventional drawing (t15=3.720, P=.002) in improving subsequent behavior in a learning setting. Irrespective of the intervention, the participant’s mood, attention, and overall behavior significantly improved. No significant differences were found between the interventions (t15=–0.648 P=.53). This study’s results are encouraging for researchers and educators interested in using virtual reality for people with Down syndrome, as virtual reality was found to be highly feasible. Recommendations are made for researchers and educators interested in providing virtual reality experiences for people with Down syndrome.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 09-07-2019
Abstract: Developing an understanding of how virtual reality (VR) aftereffects may influence later activities could help to minimise the risk of using head-mounted displays (HMDs) for various applications. This study investigated the visual and cognitive aftereffects of using HMDs and their relationship to the reporting of VR sickness symptoms. Visual (accommodation and vergence) and cognitive (reaction time and rapid visual processing) assessments were employed before and after participants engage in a 30-minute VR table tennis game (VR group, n = 27) or went about their daily activities (control group, n = 28). VR sickness symptoms were captured using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). The data showed changes in accommodation but no concurrent changes in vergence, which likely stems from decoupling accommodation and vergence in VR. Furthermore, larger changes in accommodation were linked to a greater reporting of sickness symptoms suggesting that decoupling accommodation and vergence could be more adverse than previously thought. Participants in the VR group also showed slower decision (cognitive) times, but VR did not seem to affect their movement times in a five-choice reaction time task. The novel visual and cognitive findings from this study may be valuable to obtain a better understanding of the user issues and safety around VR usage.
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.3758/S13414-017-1413-7
Abstract: Research suggests that the human brain codes manipulable objects as possibilities for action, or affordances, particularly objects close to the body. Near-body space is not only a zone for body-environment interaction but also is socially relevant, as we are driven to preserve our near-body, personal space from others. The current, novel study investigated how close proximity of a stranger modulates visuomotor processing of object affordances in shared, social space. Participants performed a behavioural object recognition task both alone and with a human confederate. All object images were in participants' reachable space but appeared relatively closer to the participant or the confederate. Results revealed when participants were alone, objects in both locations produced an affordance congruency effect but when the confederate was present, only objects nearer the participant elicited the effect. Findings suggest space is ided between strangers to preserve independent near-body space boundaries, and in turn this process influences motor coding for stimuli within that social space. To demonstrate that this visuomotor modulation represents a social phenomenon, rather than a general, attentional effect, two subsequent experiments employed nonhuman joint conditions. Neither a small, Japanese, waving cat statue (Experiment 2) nor a metronome (Experiment 3) modulated the affordance effect as in Experiment 1. These findings suggest a truly social explanation of the key interaction from Experiment 1. This study represents an important step toward understanding object affordance processing in real-world, social contexts and has implications broadly across fields of social action and cognition, and body space representation.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 20-09-2019
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 13-12-2019
Abstract: The use of head-mounted displays (HMD) for virtual reality (VR) application-based purposes including therapy, rehabilitation, and training is increasing. Despite advancements in VR technologies, many users still experience sickness symptoms. VR sickness may be influenced by technological differences within HMDs such as resolution and refresh rate, however VR content also plays a significant role. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the literature on HMD’s that report Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) scores to determine the impact of content. User factors associated with VR sickness were also examined. A systematic search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Fifty-five articles met inclusion criteria, representing 3,016 participants (mean age range 19.5-80 41% female). Findings show gaming content recorded the highest total SSQ mean 34.26 (95%CI 29.57-38.95). VR sickness profiles were also influenced by visual stimulation, locomotion and exposure times. Older s les (mean age ≥35 years) scored significantly lower total SSQ means than younger s les, however these findings are based on a small evidence base as a limited number of studies included older users. No sex differences were found. Across all types of content, the pooled total SSQ mean was relatively high 28.00 (95%CI 24.66-31.35) compared with recommended SSQ cut-off scores. These findings are of relevance for informing future research and the application of VR in different contexts.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA.2014.10.008
Abstract: Being in close social proximity to a stranger is generally perceived to be an uncomfortable experience, which most people seek to avoid. In circumstances where crowding is unavoidable, however, people may seek to withdraw their attention from the other person. This study examined whether social discomfort, as indexed by electrodermal activity, is related to a withdrawal of attention in 28 (m=8, f=20) university students. Students performed a radial line bisection task while alone or together with a stranger facing them. Physiological arousal was indexed by a wrist monitor, which recorded electrodermal activity. Correlational analyses showed that in iduals who displayed physiological discomfort when together showed a withdrawal of the perceived midpoint of the line towards them (and away from the stranger). Conversely, in iduals who showed no discomfort exhibited an expansion of the perceived midpoint away from them. We propose that participants shift their attention away from the stranger to increase interpersonal distance and reduce anxiety/arousal.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 08-09-2020
Abstract: People with neurodevelopmental disorders are often considered unsuitable or incapable of working in open employment. When employment is available, tasks are often limited, and opportunities for career development are restricted. Policy and funding constraints leave people with disabilities without an opportunity to develop skills due to the additional time and costs for employers. To overcome these barriers, virtual environments have been proposed as a safe and reliable solution for training. An important prerequisite for a wider uptake of training in virtual environments are demonstrations that the training leads to improved performance in the real world. This is particularly true for people with neurodevelopmental disorders, as transferring learnings from one context to another can be challenging. A systematic review was conducted to assess whether training in virtual environments can be used to improve real-world vocational skills in people with neurodevelopmental disorders. After a systematic search in five databases, seven out of the initially identified 1107 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings from these seven studies demonstrate that people with neurodevelopmental disorders can transfer vocational skills from virtual environments to real-world settings. With substantial technological improvements, a surge in accessibility, and improved affordability, there is a need to build upon the promising results identified in this review.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 04-05-2020
Abstract: Background: Virtual reality (VR) exergaming has the potential to target sedentary behavior. Immersive environments can distract users from the physical exertion of exercise and can motivate them to continue exergaming. Despite the recent surge in VR popularity, numerous users still experience VR sickness from using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Apart from the commonly assessed self-reported symptoms, depth perception and cognition may also be affected when users experience VR sickness. Considering the potential benefits of VR exergaming, it is crucial to identify the adverse effects limiting its potential and continued uptake.Objective: This study aims to investigate the consequences of playing one of the most popular VR exergames for 10 and 50 min on aspects of vision, cognition, and self-reported VR sickness.Methods: A total of 36 participants played a popular VR exergame, called Beat Saber, using an HMD. A repeated measures within-subject design was conducted to assess changes in vision, cognition, and well-being after short (10 min) and long (50 min) durations of VR exposure. We measured accommodation, convergence, decision speed, movement speed, and self-reported sickness at 3 test periods—before VR, immediately after VR, and 40 min after VR (late).Results: Beat Saber was well tolerated, as there were no dropouts due to sickness. Overall, for most participants, any immediate aftereffects were short-lived and returned to baseline levels after 40 min of exiting VR. For both short and long exposures, there were changes in accommodation (F1,35=8.424 P=.006) and convergence (F1,35=7.826 P=.008) however, in the late test period, participants returned to baseline levels. Measures on cognition revealed no concern. The total simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) scores increased immediately after VR (F1,35=26.515 P& .001) and were significantly higher for long compared with short exposures (t35=2.807 P=.032), but there were no differences in exposure duration in the late test period, with scores returning to baseline levels. Although at a group level, participants’ sickness levels returned to baseline 40 min after VR exposure, approximately 14% of the participants still reported high levels of sickness in the late test period after playing 50 min of Beat Saber. We also showed that the participants who experienced a high level of sickness after a short exposure were almost certain to experience a high level of symptoms after a longer exposure.Conclusions: Irrespective of the duration of exposure, this study found no strong evidence for adverse symptoms 40 min after exiting VR however, some in iduals still reported high levels of VR sickness at this stage. We recommend that users commit to a waiting period after exiting VR to ensure that any aftereffects have deteriorated. Exergames in HMDs have the potential to encourage people to exercise but are understudied, and the aftereffects of exergaming need to be closely monitored to ensure that VR exergames can reach their full potential.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-05-2015
DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2015.1048677
Abstract: While it is generally acknowledged that another person's presence can influence how we behave within our environment, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this influence is limited. Three experiments investigated the effect of social presence on the lateral distribution of spatial attention. Shifts in spatial attention were measured using line bisection, while participants sat in each other's personal space. An attentional withdrawal was observed, whereby attention moved away from the other person when the same task was using turn-taking (Experiment 1) and independent responding (Experiment 2) paradigms. When participant pairs engaged in different tasks (Experiment 3), attentional withdrawal was no longer observed. Our results strongly suggest that the influence of interpersonal proximity on attention merits greater consideration than it has received from researchers investigating social effects on cognition.
No related grants have been discovered for Ancret Szpak.