Empirical research using virtual reality<\/p><\/h1><\/div>
Virtual Reality as a research method offers the following advantages:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Virtual environments and VR simulations are highly standardizable, controllable and repeatable compared to the real situation<\/li>\n
- VR studies offer a higher ecological validity compared to pen and paper studies, studies with image or video stimuli – with nevertheless almost complete experimental control<\/li>\n
- VR systems allow an implicit recording of behavioral measures like: Approach distance, head, body and eye movements with various evaluation possibilities of objective measures<\/li>\n
- VR simulations can be modified and reused<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In experimental psychological research, therapy research, safety research, CyberSession is used as a research method for controlled empirical studies with highly immersive virtual reality (HMD, projection) by the following institutions, among others:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
![\"VTplus](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Lehrstuhl](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Lehrstuhl](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Hochschulambulanz](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Hochschulambulanz](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C5.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Universit\u00e4tsklinikum](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C6.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Technische](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C11.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"kbo](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/C13.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Uniklinikum](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ukw.png\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Zentrum](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/logo_ztm_4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Stellenbosch](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/logostellenbosch.png\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"universit\u00e4tsklinikum](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ukblogo.png\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Uni-Basel-Logo.png\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Logo-ZI-Mannheim.png\")
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<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i><\/div><\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span>Research projects with CyberSession-VR<\/p><\/h2><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>In the following research projects CyberSession is being utilized for the use of virtual reality as a research method.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Bild_Steckbrief_C_UKT_VTplus-150x150.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BMBF_Gef\u00f6rdertLogo-300x213.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div>FKZ: 13GW01213D<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>REHALITY<\/h3><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>MOTIVATION
\nEvery year, 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke and are forced to follow a long and exhausting path of neurorehabilitation in order to restore their physical and mental functioning to the point where social and professional reintegration is possible. Despite the high level of resources devoted to neurological rehabilitation measures, the time available to physiotherapists, occupational therapists and therapists for individual therapy is very limited.<\/p>\nINNOVATION
\nDigital therapy concepts that can be carried out independently with the help of virtual reality (VR) also offer great potential for faster and more successful therapy of chronic stroke. The perception of a movement of the paralyzed body part in the virtual world can promote the healing process. New research results show that the state of the brain at the time of stimulation is decisive for whether or not plastic changes occur in the brain networks. However, the success of the therapy requires not only highly immersive virtual reality but also a control system tailored to the individual patient: each person and each stroke is unique and an optimal therapy must be tailored to the specific disturbance of brain activity. This project implements the intensive research and development process that makes the increasingly technically advanced VR and electroencephalography (EEG) hardware systems also therapeutically effective.<\/p>\nPERSPECTIVE
\nThis new form of therapy is intended to close the gap between inpatient acute treatment in hospital, rehabilitation measures and therapy options in the home environment, thereby saving considerable follow-up costs for health and social insurance funds and accelerating the successful return of stroke patients to an independent life and earning capacity.<\/p>\nContact<\/strong>
\nVTplus GmbH<\/a>: Dr. Bastian Lange, Contact: rehality@vtplus.eu
\nNetwork Coordinator Neurological University Hospital T\u00fcbingen: Prof. Dr. Ulf Ziemann<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/OPTAPEB-Logo_Subline.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>FKZ: 16SV7840 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>OPTAPEB<\/h3><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>MOTIVATION
\nIn Germany, around 6.9 million people suffer from clinically relevant anxiety disorders. The social costs are enormous. In addition, anxiety is an accompanying component in almost all other mental disorders. It is therefore important that the therapeutic approaches are accepted, effective and process-optimized.<\/p>\nGOALS AND PROCEDURE
\nA central element in the psychotherapy of anxiety disorders is to expose those affected to the anxiety-inducing situations. In the project, a system will be developed that multimodally records the emotional reactions of clients during such exposures and extracts from them data fusion parameters that are relevant for the further course. From these parameters microinterventions are derived, which are made available to the client by a virtual agent in an intuitive interaction. Prognoses for successful microinterventions are derived by machine processing of the data sets obtained in numerous exposures.<\/p>\nINNOVATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES
\nThe technological innovation in the field of psychotherapy is characterized by a user-centered approach in development and intuitive interaction with a virtual agent. This improves the effectiveness and practicability of psychotherapeutic interventions for anxiety disorders and their long-term effectiveness. Legal and ethical concerns are taken into account as well as the autonomy and informational self-determination of the clients.\u00a0Further informations \u203a<\/a><\/p>\nContact
\n<\/b>VTplus GmbH<\/a>: Prof. Dr. J. M\u00fcller, Kontakt: optapeb@vtplus.eu
\nNetwork Coordinator University of Regensburg, Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy: Prof. Dr. A. M\u00fchlberger<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/EVElyn.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>FKZ: 13GW0169B<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>EVElyn Virtual Reality Therapy<\/h3><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>MOTIVATION: EXPOSURE THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
\nIn Germany, approximately 15.3 percent of the adult population and approximately 10 percent of children and adolescents suffer from an anxiety disorder each year. Anxiety disorders have a tendency to become chronic and are associated with a major impairment of quality of life. Patients with anxiety disorders usually consistently avoid the situations they fear. Classical exposure in vivo is an established psychotherapeutic method of behavioral therapy. In this method, patients expose themselves in real life, under the guidance of the therapist, to the anxiety-provoking situations or objects that they otherwise avoid. This allows them to experience that their fears are not realistic and that the feared consequences do not occur at all. In this way, patients learn to abandon their avoidance behavior and overcome their fear. Exposure therapy is very effective and has been proven in the therapy of anxiety disorders in numerous scientific studies.<\/p>\nMETHOD: EXPOSURE THERAPY IN VIRTUAL REALITY
\nExposure therapy in virtual reality (VR) is an innovative form of psychotherapeutic treatment for anxiety disorders. In this method, patients experience the anxiety-triggering situations virtually. They are exposed via VR video goggles to multimodal virtual environments that contain the anxiety-provoking objects and\/ or situations.<\/p>\nVR holds great potential. For one thing, there is evidence that patients are more willing to be exposed in VR than in vivo. On the other hand, the organizational and time requirements for the therapist are reduced because the exposure can be performed in the treatment room. In addition, situations can be simulated in the context of a treatment that cannot be produced in vivo or only with great effort, e.g., social situations such as lectures and activities such as driving or air travel. Furthermore, the exercises in the fearful situations can be repeated as often as desired in VR, which can intensify and deepen the exposure therapy.<\/p>\n
The current S3 guideline for the treatment of anxiety disorders also recommends the use of confrontation therapy with virtual reality (VR) and points to a lack of available solutions. This is exactly where the EVElyn project comes in.<\/p>\n
THE JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT EVElyn
\nEVElyn stands for Efficiency Enhancement and Care Optimization in Outpatient Psychotherapy of Anxiety Disorders: Developing a Methodology for Using Virtual Reality to Conduct Exposure Exercises.<\/p>\nThe EVElyn project offers the opportunity to bring VR exposure therapy as an innovative psychotherapy method a big step closer to everyday application in practice and thus contribute to closing a relevant gap in care. Furthermore, the project can serve the interests of science and psychotherapy research, because VR exposure therapy is excellently suited for scientific studies. With a VR system suitable for everyday use, the processes during successful psychotherapy can be studied in detail. Further information \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n
Contact<\/strong>
\nVTplus GmbH<\/a>: Prof. Dr. J. M\u00fcller, Contact: evelyn@vtplus.eu
\nNetwork coordinator Heilbronn University: Prof. Dr. Gerrit Meixner<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.cybersession.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ProtectAD.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>FKZ: 01EE1402A<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>PROTECT-AD<\/h3><\/span>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>15% of all German citizens suffer from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders – such as panic disorder, agoraphobia, phobias or the so-called generalized anxiety disorder – are among the most expensive and stressful diseases in health care due to their early onset and chronic course (1,2). They are typically not recognized by the health system or only after many years. But even if the disease is diagnosed correctly, the vast majority of affected patients do not receive suitable therapy.
\nThe consequences are serious: patients often suffer for decades. They develop additional diseases such as clinical depression or addictions. In addition, personal, interpersonal and professional development is severely disturbed and many patients are driven into isolation and occupational disability.
\nThe PROTECT-AD research programme, funded by the German government, aims to fundamentally change these deficiencies. We want to continue to improve the most effective and scientifically proven form of therapy, “cognitive behavior therapy (KVT)” in various ways and to change it in such a way that it becomes accessible and effective in the long term for all those affected. The research association PROTECT-AD is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a sum of 5.3 million over 4 years.<\/p>\nSCIENTIFIC APPROACH
\nOnly if we understand the reasons for the currently poor care and the mechanisms of action of successful anxiety therapy can we improve the care situation. Therefore, many scientific questions are dealt with in depth in the PROTECT-AD network.
\nAt the heart of the research network are two clinical studies dealing with so-called “extinction learning” in children and adults. Extinction learning – the alteration of anxiety-promoting neuronal and cognitive structures – is regarded as a central mechanism of action in anxiety therapy. PROTECT-AD uses psychophysiological, imaging and genetic procedures that help us to better understand how our thinking, feeling and acting as well as biological processes in our body change during therapy.
\nIn addition, we work with practitioners to develop new treatment concepts so that we can offer those affected the best possible treatment methods across the board.<\/p>\nCOOPERATION PARTNERS IN THE RESEARCH NETWORK
\nPROTECT-AD brings together the seven university centres best specialised in the psychotherapeutic treatment of anxiety disorders: The Technische Universit\u00e4t Dresden, the Westf\u00e4lische Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t M\u00fcnster, the Ruhr-Universit\u00e4t Bochum, the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universit\u00e4t Greifswald, the Philipps-Universit\u00e4t Marburg, the Julius-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t W\u00fcrzburg, the Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin and the Charit\u00e9 Berlin. Visit the websites of the centres in your area for more information!<\/p>\nThe research association is headed by Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wittchen, head of the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Dresden University of Technology and director of the affiliated outpatient and day clinic for psychotherapy at Dresden University of Technology.\u00a0Further informations \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>
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