Effects of personal relevance and simulated darkness on the affective appraisal of a virtual environment.

ABSTRACT: This study investigated whether personal relevance influences the affective appraisal of a desktop virtual environment (VE) in simulated darkness. In the real world, darkness often evokes thoughts of vulnerability, threat, and danger, and may automatically precipitate emotional responses consonant with those thoughts (fear of darkness). This influences the affective appraisal of a given environment after dark and the way humans behave in that environment in conditions of low lighting. Desktop VEs are increasingly deployed to study the effects of environmental qualities and (architectural or lighting) interventions on human behaviour and feelings of safety. Their (ecological) validity for these purposes depends critically on their ability to correctly address the user's cognitive and affect

SUBMITTER: Toet A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4788201 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature