Presentation
Smelling What You See in Virtual Reality: Impacts on Mood, Memory, and Anxiety
DescriptionThis study examines how adding scents to a virtual reality environment impacts immersion, anxiety levels, and mood. Participants (N=40), aged 18-44 years with varying levels of virtual reality (VR) technology experience, were randomly assigned to either the control (no scent), congruent (i.e., scents that match the visual scene), or incongruent scent conditions. Participants were assessed on changes to mood, anxiety levels, immersion, and performance on a memory recognition task. Results suggest that while the VR experience significantly reduced anxiety and lifted mood, the scent did not significantly affect memory performance or immersion in the VR experience. Future directions for research include exploring the use of scent to engage participants more fully in exposure therapies.
Contributor
Event Type
Lecture
TimeTuesday, September 10th4:15pm - 4:35pm MST
LocationFLW Salon J
Extended Reality