Grensing, Florian

Specific phobias, such as spider phobia, are a widespread condition, that can negatively impact the quality of life of affected people. Phobias are typically characterised by avoidance behaviour, which can be measured using a behavioural avoidance test (BAT). While behavioural avoidance tests are traditionally performed using a real stimulus (e.g., a spider), virtual reality has also gained popularity in the field of psychology. This offers a more accessible and affordable alternative to traditional diagnostic methods. Our work focuses on a comparison of BATs in vivo and in virtuo, and considering two different approach modalities, by analysing the physiological responses of participants. This study aims to investigate whether these responses during in virtuo BATs are comparable to those observed during in vivo BATs, and whether the modality influences the outcome. In this work, we present our study involving 25 participants and an initial look at the data collected.

The field of virtual reality (VR) is no longer limited to the entertainment sector, and the use also increased in the sector of healthcare and therapy. This paper attempts to compare the effectiveness of a Behavioral Avoidance Test for spider phobia in virtual reality to in vivo. To do this, two different BAT approaches are designed for both in vivo and in virtuo to be compared by a group of phobic participants. In addition, physiological data of the participants were recorded to investigate this comparison on a physiological level.