Scientists found out that the way we look and explore our virtual reality depends on our perception of space. Lead- scientist Martin Dobricki explained that there study was formed from the hypothesis that emotional experience and environment exploration can't be triggered by environmental stimuli.
Dobricki added that the brain can regulate emotional experience and exploratory behavior. He explained that spatial context also has something to do with the way a person explore his reality.
Science Daily reported that to test their hypothesis the researchers ask volunteers to walk in an elevated wooden plank and made them walk in a virtual forest glade. They did this to study the volunteer's gait, spatial sensory input, emotional control and environment exploration.
The researchers found out that the elevated gait give a negative and frightening experience to the volunteers. They also tested the volunteer's other feelings by making them walk on a secured environment. They put the wooden plank on the ground and let them walk there.
This gave positive emotions to the volunteers, Laboratory Equipment reported.
"The elevated gait made the volunteer explore the environment below the horizon. The ground made them want to explore above the horizon," the researchers explained.
"This shows a sensorimotor body-environment interaction. There's coloration between our sensory organs and the gait information we get from them," they added.
They concluded that exposure therapy in phobias will only intensify their phobia. Therefore, they are suggesting a new study for emotion management but there's a need for more research
Martin Dobricki from University of Würzburg explained that their research shows that humans do not only respond to stimulus. He explained that our behavior and perception of ourselves in the world that we live has something to do on our stimulus response.
The scientist hopes that their findings will allow other researchers to look at body-environment interactions. He believes that by looking at the people's emotion will give a new perspective on virtual reality perception.
