Using Virtual Reality in Experimental Psychology

The major aim of the present study is to emphasize the potential offered by Virtual Reality (VR) to develop new tools for research in experimental psychology. Despite several works have addressed cognitive, clinical and methodological issues concerning the application of this technology in psychological and neuro-psychological assessment and rehabilitation, there is a lack of discussion focusing on the role played by Virtual Reality and 3D computer graphics in experimental behaviour research. This chapter provides an introduction to the basic concepts and the historical background of experimental psychology along with a rationale for the application of Virtual Reality in this scientific discipline. In particular, the historical framework aims at emphasizing that the application of VR in experimental psychology represents the leading edge of the revolution that informatics has operated into the traditional psychology laboratory. We point out that the use of VR and Virtual Environments (VEs) as research tool might discover new methodological horizons for experimental psychology and that it has the potential to raise important questions concerning the nature of many psychological phenomena. In order to put the discussion on a concrete basis, we review the relevant literature regarding the application of VR to the main areas of psychological research, such as perception, memory, problem solving, mental imagery and attention. Finally, fundamental issues having important implications for the feasibility of a VR approach applied to psychological research are discussed.