David Redmond

Title: Virtual Reality, User Experience and Psychosocial Outcomes

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

Description: To date the application of virtual reality to psychological research and practice predominantly focuses on overall functional and clinical outcomes following a VR assisted intervention. There is enormous scope to learn about how specific aspects of the VR experience both recreationally and during interventions contribute to these positive outcomes. This research will explore how the user-VR interaction aids the exploration of self-conceptions and identity to optimise well-being and personally meaningful outcomes. This project will explore (1) whether and how specific features and aspects of the VR experience (e.g. setting and narrative) impact on psychological wellbeing; (2) what psychological outcomes are impacted (e.g. how does it shape a person’s sense of self and identity); and (3) how can this knowledge of the VR experience be applied to clinical populations (e.g. amputees)?