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Sagehorn M, Johnsdorf M, Kisker J, Gruber T, Schöne B. Electrophysiological correlates of face and object perception: A comparative analysis of 2D laboratory and virtual reality conditions. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14519. [PMID: 38219244 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Human face perception is a specialized visual process with inherent social significance. The neural mechanisms reflecting this intricate cognitive process have evolved in spatially complex and emotionally rich environments. Previous research using VR to transfer an established face perception paradigm to realistic conditions has shown that the functional properties of face-sensitive neural correlates typically observed in the laboratory are attenuated outside the original modality. The present study builds on these results by comparing the perception of persons and objects under conventional laboratory (PC) and realistic conditions in VR. Adhering to established paradigms, the PC- and VR modalities both featured images of persons and cars alongside standard control images. To investigate the individual stages of realistic face processing, response times, the typical face-sensitive N170 component, and relevant subsequent components (L1, L2; pre-, post-response) were analyzed within and between modalities. The between-modality comparison of response times and component latencies revealed generally faster processing under realistic conditions. However, the obtained N170 latency and amplitude differences showed reduced discriminative capacity under realistic conditions during this early stage. These findings suggest that the effects commonly observed in the lab are specific to monitor-based presentations. Analyses of later and response-locked components showed specific neural mechanisms for identification and evaluation are employed when perceiving the stimuli under realistic conditions, reflected in discernible amplitude differences in response to faces and objects beyond the basic perceptual features. Conversely, the results do not provide evidence for comparable stimulus-specific perceptual processing pathways when viewing pictures of the stimuli under conventional laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle Sagehorn
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Marike Johnsdorf
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Joanna Kisker
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Beitner J, Helbing J, David EJ, Võ MLH. Using a flashlight-contingent window paradigm to investigate visual search and object memory in virtual reality and on computer screens. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8596. [PMID: 38615047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58941-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
A popular technique to modulate visual input during search is to use gaze-contingent windows. However, these are often rather discomforting, providing the impression of visual impairment. To counteract this, we asked participants in this study to search through illuminated as well as dark three-dimensional scenes using a more naturalistic flashlight with which they could illuminate the rooms. In a surprise incidental memory task, we tested the identities and locations of objects encountered during search. Importantly, we tested this study design in both immersive virtual reality (VR; Experiment 1) and on a desktop-computer screen (Experiment 2). As hypothesized, searching with a flashlight increased search difficulty and memory usage during search. We found a memory benefit for identities of distractors in the flashlight condition in VR but not in the computer screen experiment. Surprisingly, location memory was comparable across search conditions despite the enormous difference in visual input. Subtle differences across experiments only appeared in VR after accounting for previous recognition performance, hinting at a benefit of flashlight search in VR. Our findings highlight that removing visual information does not necessarily impair location memory, and that screen experiments using virtual environments can elicit the same major effects as VR setups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Beitner
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Jason Helbing
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Erwan Joël David
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LIUM, Le Mans Université, Le Mans, France
| | - Melissa Lê-Hoa Võ
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Kisker J, Johnsdorf M, Sagehorn M, Schöne B, Gruber T. Induced oscillatory brain responses under virtual reality conditions in the context of repetition priming. Exp Brain Res 2024; 242:525-541. [PMID: 38200371 PMCID: PMC10894769 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06766-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
In the human electroencephalogram (EEG), induced oscillatory responses in various frequency bands are regarded as valuable indices to examine the neural mechanisms underlying human memory. While the advent of virtual reality (VR) drives the investigation of mnemonic processing under more lifelike settings, the joint application of VR and EEG methods is still in its infancy (e.g., due to technical limitations impeding the signal acquisition). The objective of the present EEG study was twofold. First, we examined whether the investigation of induced oscillations under VR conditions yields equivalent results compared to standard paradigms. Second, we aimed at obtaining further insights into basic memory-related brain mechanisms in VR. To these ends, we relied on a standard implicit memory design, namely repetition priming, for which the to-be-expected effects are well-documented for conventional studies. Congruently, we replicated a suppression of the evoked potential after stimulus onset. Regarding the induced responses, we observed a modulation of induced alphaband in response to a repeated stimulus. Importantly, our results revealed a repetition-related suppression of the high-frequency induced gammaband response (>30 Hz), indicating the sharpening of a cortical object representation fostering behavioral priming effects. Noteworthy, the analysis of the induced gammaband responses required a number of measures to minimize the influence of external and internal sources of artefacts (i.e., the electrical shielding of the technical equipment and the control for miniature eye movements). In conclusion, joint VR-EEG studies with a particular focus on induced oscillatory responses offer a promising advanced understanding of mnemonic processing under lifelike conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kisker
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Marike Johnsdorf
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Merle Sagehorn
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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Ceccato I, Ricci E, Mazza C, Bartolini E, Di Crosta A, La Malva P, Biondi S, Colasanti M, Mammarella N, Palumbo R, Roma P, Di Domenico A. Influence of stimuli emotional features and typicality on memory performance: insights from a virtual reality context. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:257-270. [PMID: 37369932 PMCID: PMC10805939 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01850-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
The present study tested the influence of stimuli emotional valence, emotional arousal, and typicality on memory recollection in three groups of participants exposed to the same environment through different modalities: in vivo exposure (i.e., real-life), 3D virtual reality (i.e., VR), and 2D pictures. Context-related free-recall, recognition accuracy, and recognition confidence were analyzed. The results showed that memory performance was best in the real-life modality, and participants in the VR and 2D pictures modalities performed comparably. Interesting effects of stimuli emotional valence and typicality emerged: in the VR and 2D pictures modalities, positive items were better recalled than negative items; typicality was relevant only in the real-life modality, with less common objects within the explored setting (i.e., an office) recalled more often. Furthermore, recognition accuracy and confidence were significantly higher in the real-life modality than in the VR and 2D pictures modalities. Further research is needed to support the creation of VR environments that are sufficiently comparable to real-life contexts in order to obtain higher ecological validity in studies of cognitive performance. In particular, the impact of stimuli typicality and emotional valence in VR contexts should be investigated to gain insight into how these features might improve memory recall in virtual scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Ceccato
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Eleonora Ricci
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Cristina Mazza
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Emanuela Bartolini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Adolfo Di Crosta
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Pasquale La Malva
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Silvia Biondi
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Colasanti
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Nicola Mammarella
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Rocco Palumbo
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
| | - Paolo Roma
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Di Domenico
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Sagehorn M, Johnsdorf M, Kisker J, Sylvester S, Gruber T, Schöne B. Real-life relevant face perception is not captured by the N170 but reflected in later potentials: A comparison of 2D and virtual reality stimuli. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1050892. [PMID: 37057177 PMCID: PMC10086431 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1050892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The perception of faces is one of the most specialized visual processes in the human brain and has been investigated by means of the early event-related potential component N170. However, face perception has mostly been studied in the conventional laboratory, i.e., monitor setups, offering rather distal presentation of faces as planar 2D-images. Increasing spatial proximity through Virtual Reality (VR) allows to present 3D, real-life-sized persons at personal distance to participants, thus creating a feeling of social involvement and adding a self-relevant value to the presented faces. The present study compared the perception of persons under conventional laboratory conditions (PC) with realistic conditions in VR. Paralleling standard designs, pictures of unknown persons and standard control images were presented in a PC- and a VR-modality. To investigate how the mechanisms of face perception differ under realistic conditions from those under conventional laboratory conditions, the typical face-specific N170 and subsequent components were analyzed in both modalities. Consistent with previous laboratory research, the N170 lost discriminatory power when translated to realistic conditions, as it only discriminated faces and controls under laboratory conditions. Most interestingly, analysis of the later component [230–420 ms] revealed more differentiated face-specific processing in VR, as indicated by distinctive, stimulus-specific topographies. Complemented by source analysis, the results on later latencies show that face-specific neural mechanisms are applied only under realistic conditions (A video abstract is available in the Supplementary material and via YouTube: https://youtu.be/TF8wiPUrpSY).
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle Sagehorn
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
- *Correspondence: Merle Sagehorn,
| | - Marike Johnsdorf
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Joanna Kisker
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sophia Sylvester
- Semantic Information Systems Research Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Thomas Gruber
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Benjamin Schöne
- Experimental Psychology I, Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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