Abstract: Virtual Reality is a powerful asset when it comes to elicit emotions, thanks notably to the strong user involvement it generates. Thanks to this, and to the safe environment it provides compared to real-life situations, psychologists express a growing interest regarding VR for emotional therapy. This gives us an interesting opportunity to study the emotional and cognitive aspects of VR, all the while providing applications for such therapies. In this talk, we will present some ongoing projects linked to VR and psychology, with a zoom on a recent project involving emotion and embodiment.
Bios: The talk will be assured by Dr. Antonio Capobianco, Dr. Flavien Lécuyer and Benjamin Freeling. Antonio Capobianco is an Assistant Professor working at Strasbourg since 2004 with a background in human-computer interaction and 3D interaction. Throughout is career, he worked on several aspects of the sensor-motor loop in 3D environments. His current research focuses on VR applications for psychological therapy, as well as on the cognitive mechanisms underlying embodiment in VR. Flavien Lécuyer is an Assistant Professor at Strasbourg since 2021. His first works revolved around VR applications for archaeology and how to make it easier to use and build. Now, he is working on the emotional and communicational aspects of VR. Benjamin Freeling is a PhD student. His thesis subject, entitled "Emotions and embodiment in VR" started in 2022.