Browsing Psychology by Subject "virtual reality"
Now showing items 1-7 of 7
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Active Navigation in Virtual Environments Benefits Spatial Memory in Older Adults
(MDPI, 2019-03)We investigated age differences in memory for spatial routes that were either actively or passively encoded. A series of virtual environments were created and presented to 20 younger (Mean age = 19.71) and 20 older (Mean ... -
The Downside of Building Up: An Exploration into the Psychological and Physiological Impacts of Exposure to High-Rise Buildings
(University of Waterloo, 2020-11-17)Cities are densifying at a rapid rate and, accordingly, are constructing high-rise buildings to accommodate more people. The aim of this dissertation was to quantify the physiological and psychological impacts of being in ... -
Moving On Up: Investigating the Embodied Metaphor of Verticality and its Effect on Overconfidence
(University of Waterloo, 2023-01-12)As investment in Virtual Reality (VR) continues, we sought to better understand the unique value proposition this technology has to offer by testing the impact of a virtually embodied metaphor on self-evaluation. In both ... -
Parameterizing Inanimate Agents: The Motion of a Virtual Ball and the Behaviour of a Machine-Learning Interactive System
(University of Waterloo, 2021-01-28)In this thesis we parameterized interactive objects and systems and investigated their effects on perceived agency. In one experiment we developed a virtual reality simulation in which the motion path of a virtual ball is ... -
Physiological and Affective Responses to Immersion in Virtual Reality: Effects of Nature and Urban Settings
(University of Waterloo, 2010-08-16)With the rapid advancements in technology, researchers are seeking new ways to incorporate modern high-tech solutions such as virtual reality into treatment paradigms for stress. The current experiment explores the beneficial ... -
Testing the spatial affordance hypothesis: Evidence from factor analysis, mathematical models, and behavioural analysis
(University of Waterloo, 2015-09-29)This thesis attempts to explain the apparent link between how we navigate the world around us and the physical properties that define that world. Despite a number of works indicating the substantial effect of the layout ... -
Understanding the influence of anxiety on gait in Parkinson's disease
(University of Waterloo, 2015-07-15)Anxiety is a prevalent non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and has been linked to motor impairments in PD, yet there is a huge gap in the understanding of whether anxiety affects movement, namely gait, in those ...