360º Virtual Scenario Method
The 360º Virtual Scenario Method research program aims to remedy some of the defects of the traditional written scenario (or “vignette”) method by employing immersive 360º video. This immersive method is based on the assumption that the commonly used written scenarios lack contextual detail and are unlikely to capture the more visceral and emotional aspects that surround real-world offending, which commonly occurs during “hot” and altered states of mind. Additionally, the ten-to-fifteen-line narrative of the standard scenario is unlikely to adequately reflect the complex reality of real-life decision-making situations and to realistically incorporate important nuances of social experience.
Rather than asking participants to imagine themselves in a specific situation on the basis of a short narrative, a virtual scenario perceptually immerses them in it. The 360º Virtual Scenario Method research program seeks to validate a stimulus set containing different immersive scenarios in a bar-room setting. Our current research focuses on the effect of emotions and affective states, i.e., anger and sexual arousal, on aggressive behavior and bystander/guardianship behavior. Furthermore, we study the situational and dispositional characteristics that underlie both behaviors using in-VR and regular surveys, physiological measurements, and eye tracking.
MAXLab ABISS request form
External projects that use MAXLab ABISS
Helping at a cost: Investigating age-related differences in personal safety decisions using virtual reality
This research project explores how aging influences personal safety decisions, particularly in prosocial scenarios involving risk. In this project, we leverage the MAXLab ABISS VR scenarios to immerse individuals in the role of a witness to an escalating harassment situation. Participants are asked to express their intentions to act, as well as provide reasons for their decisions. Concurrently, we record think-aloud protocols during the VR experience, which are analyzed using AI-driven natural language processing tools. This approach allows us to uncover deeper insights into participants’ perceptions of the scenarios, the influence of the VR method, and age-related differences in decision-making processes. Through this project, we aim to expand the empirical evidence base on the intersection of aging, prosocial behavior, and decision-making under risk. Additionally, by integrating cutting-edge VR simulations and AI analysis, we seek to contribute to methodological advancements that improve the ecological validity and precision of research in this field, paving the way for future innovation in aging and behavioral studies.
Institution: Cognitive and Decision Sciences University of Basel
Contact: Loreen Tisdall, loreen.tisdall@unibas.ch
Empirical Evidence of Statement Validity Methods: Analyzing Mnemonic Consistency and Criteria-Based Content Analysis Using Virtual Reality
It is standard practice for legal psychologists assessing the experiential relevance of witness statements in cases of offenses against the sexual self-determination to base their expert reports on statement validity methods, such as criteria-based content analysis (CBCA) and mnemonic consistency analysis, next to additional analytical steps. However, empirical evidence for these methods has been partially heterogenous, or the methods have hardly or not at all been verified. In the past, researchers attempting to empirically verify statement validity methods were faced with the dilemma of having to choose between the empirical control of stimuli afforded by lab studies and the advantages presented by the generalizability of field studies. With traditional methods, there were only limited options of designing experimentally controlled stimuli that resemble real (sexual) victim experiences, feel personally relevant to test subjects, and thus ensure high internal and external validity. The pre-registered research project “Empirical evidence of statement validity methods: Analyzing mnemonic consistency and Criteria Based Content Analysis with virtual reality” (https://osf.io/vjt6f) makes use of the MAXLab ABISS “sexual harassment” scenario to explore the witness statements of adult women in the context of statement validity methods and their empirical evidence.
Institution: Medical School Hamburg
Contact: Judith A. Iffland, Judith.iffland@medicalschool-hamburg.de
Social Interactions Under the Magnifying Glass (Les interactions sous la loupe)
Human development is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. The QNTS (Quebec Newborn Twin Study), originally set up in April 1996 and still running, collects longitudinal data on human development from childhood to adulthood to distinguish between these two categories of influence, and to identify potential interactions between environmental and biological factors.
At the same time, criminological research has established that chronic peer victimization increases the risk of re-victimization later in life, for example in university, work, or romantic relationships. Such experiences can lead to lasting changes in neural reactivity and physiological responses to social stress.
Against this background, the present research project aims to understand the mechanisms behind these difficulties in more detail and identify personal and environmental factors that exacerbate or mitigate them. Responses to social stress are measured across multiple dimensions, including:
- (Neuro)physiological (e.g., EEG, ECG)
- Hormonal (e.g., cortisol)
- Subjective (e.g., PANAS questionnaire)
- Emotional (e.g., facial expressions)
By studying situational and dispositional characteristics through immersive 360-degree scenarios, surveys, and physiological measurements, this method can uncover how specific emotional states (e.g., anger, fear) and social contexts influence behavior and stress reactivity.
Institution: Research Group on Child Psychosocial Maladjustment at Sainte-Justine Hospital (Groupe de recherche sur l'inadaptation psychosociale chez l'enfant de l'Hôpital Sainte-Justine), Montréal
Contact: Mara R. Brendgen, brendgen.mara@uqam.ca
Using Virtual Reality to Study Aggressive Behavior in a Barroom Setting
The effect of emotions on decision making is a fixture of daily life. Although some emotions, like fear, can sharpen senses and focus decisions, other affective states, like anger, can bias judgements and make people behave in a way that is not in their self-interest. This is because emotional experiences produce intense motivations towards goal-oriented behavior. A growing research literature suggests that, like the decision to engage in other risky behaviors, the decision to engage in crime can likewise be influenced by emotional experiences. However, because crime cannot easily be examined in laboratory or real-world settings (for ethical and safety reasons), this research has been limited to the use of traditional survey methodology, which cannot capture the degree to which a potential criminal actually experiences an emotional state within a criminal opportunity. In contrast, VR scenarios immerse study participants in environments that more closely reflect “real‑world” settings where crimes occur. The focus of this project is to further explore the influence of two criminogenic emotions: anger and sexual arousal. To test the effect of these affective states on crime decisions, we are developing two virtual scenarios – one presenting the opportunity to engage in a bar fight, the other presenting the opportunity to intervene to prevent a sexual assault. Our goal is to assess whether elements of the scenario induce emotional responses in our study participants that subsequently shape behavioral intentions to act aggressively.
Institutions: Sam Houston State University & Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Contact: Tim Barnum, t.barnum@csl.mpg.de, and Shaina Herman, s.herman@csl.mpg.de
Encouraging Bystanders to Act: Examining the Impact of Nudging on Public Harassment in Nightlife Settings
Public harassment (i.e., intrusive and unwanted (sexual) behaviors) in nightlife settings is increasingly recognized as a pervasive societal problem that reinforces power relations and inequalities. Current strategies to address this issue often fall short due to its complex nature and the risk of unintended side effects. This project investigates the role of bystanders during incidents of public harassment and examines whether nudging, a well-established concept from the field of behavioral economics, can be applied to encourage bystander intervention. To do so, we will conduct an experiment testing the impact of several choice architecture interventions or nudges on bystander intervention in a virtual nightlife environment. Specifically, we will examine (1) whether the implemented nudges are visually noticed and remembered by the respondents (using eye-tracking and post-experiment recall) and (2) whether the nudges influence respondents’ attitudes and behavioral intention towards bystander intervention, after being confronted with the virtual harassment scenario of MAXLab ABISS. This project’s findings will provide important insights for public harassment intervention strategies and future research.
Institution: Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, Faculty of Law and Criminology, Ghent University
Contact: Thijs Hauspie, Thijs.Hauspie@UGent.be, and Wim Hardyns, Wim.Hardyns@UGent.be
Selected publications
A Virtual Night Out - Using Virtual Reality to Study Aggressive Behavior
A Study of Virtual Bar Fights
In this episode Christopher Murphy sits down with Timothy Barnum to talk about good old-fashioned bar fights, with a particular emphasis on the emotions and heated decisions that can lead to them erupting. Tim explains how an immersive, virtual-reality scenario using 360-degree video is currently being used to better understand what really goes on in our heads during such intense decision-making encounters.
