Development and testing of a measure of the kinesthetic position sense used to assess the aftereffects from virtual environment exposure

Abstract

In order to assess physiological adaptation to virtual environment (VE) exposure, a measure of sensorimotor pointing errors was developed. This measure evaluated the kinesthetic position sense before and after exposure to a virtual environment. An empirical evaluation involving 34 participants revealed a statistically significant difference between the before and after pointing performance, thus implying that recalibrations had occurred. These results imply that users may have to undergo physiological adaptations in order to function appropriately in a VE, where altered perceptual information is displayed. These recalibrations can linger once interaction with the VE has concluded, rendering users physiologically maladaptive for the real world. Such aftereffects lead to safety concerns until pre exposure functioning has been regained. The results of this study have established the need for developing objective measures of post VE exposure aftereffects in order to objectively determine when these effects have dissipated.