Assim Kalouaz

Title:   VR for good: Exploring the active mechanisms underlying the use of Virtual Reality to prompt positive mood and well-being

Supervision Team: Brendan Rooney, UCD / Pamela Gallagher, DCU

Description: Numerous studies report examples of virtual reality experiences being used to prompt positive emotions and improve health and well-being. Yet little is understood about the way in which such positive psychological outcomes are designed into the virtual experiences – what are the active mechanism by which such immersive experiences can bring about positive emotions? This study explores the way in which the design of virtual reality experiences interact with individual characteristics of the user to impact perception, attention, emotion and mood, empathy, and well-being. In order to do so, the study will identify and refine effective measures to be used in the research (these may include using self-report, physiological and cognitive performance measures). Then building on the exploration of prospective mechanisms, the study will field test some candidate experiences to prompt positive outcomes