The Use of Virtual Reality in Psychology: A Case Study in Visual Perception

TLDR: The current paper reviews some current uses for VR environments in psychological research and discusses some ongoing questions for researchers, focusing on the area of visual perception, where both the advantages and challenges of VR are particularly salient.

Abstract: Recent proliferation of available virtual reality (VR) tools has seen increased use in psychological research. This is due to a number of advantages afforded over traditional experimental apparatus such as tighter control of the environment and the possibility of creating more ecologically valid stimulus presentation and response protocols. At the same time, higher levels of immersion and visual fidelity afforded by VR do not necessarily evoke presence or elicit a “realistic” psychological response. The current paper reviews some current uses for VR environments in psychological research and discusses some ongoing questions for researchers. Finally, we focus on the area of visual perception, where both the advantages and challenges of VR are particularly salient.