Response activation and inhibition after exposure to virtual reality

Abstract

The widespread availability of affordable head-mounted displays and easy access to virtual reality (VR) applications and games has significantly increased the use of such technology by the general public. Thus there is increasing interest in determining any risks of using such technology and any aftereffect from exposure. Head-mounted display manufacturers provide general usage guidance but this is ad hoc and there is limited recent evidence comparing early virtual environment studies with experiences from modern head-mounted displays. The primary objective of this study was to explore response activation and inhibition after participants experienced a typical virtual environment in a head-mounted display. Reaction times were collected with a robust cued go/nogo test as pre- and post-tests. Participants (n ​= ​22, female ​= ​11) played Minecraft VR for 15 ​minutes using an Oculus Rift headset. In contrast to other studies, the results showed no significant impact on reaction times across response activation or inhibition. However, evidence of participant fatigue in the reaction time tests was found. This work confirms safe use of virtual reality experiences in modern head-mounted displays for short duration exposures and identifies issues with reaction time testing that are in need of further investigation.

Keywords

• Virtual reality
• Head mounted display
• Exposure impact
• Reaction time
• Human factors