Publication details
When Threats Go Unnoticed: The Design Pitfalls of Subtle Stressors in VR Exposure Therapy
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799348 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799348 |
| Keywords | virtual reality; exposure threapy; acrophobia; physiological measurement |
| Description | Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) relies on graded anxiety induction. While height is the core stressor in acrophobia treatment, the impact of secondary environmental cues is under-researched. We investigated whether lighting instability (flicker) and environmental degradation (clutter) modulate arousal in a VR elevator exposure scenario. In a within-subjects study (N=34), participants underwent four ascents. Results show that while height significantly increased heart rate, secondary variables did not alter physiological or psychological arousal. Our results reveal a design failure: subtle environmental stressors failed to compete with the dominant phobic stimulus, and in some cases, inadvertently reduced rather than increased anxiety. Qualitative feedback suggests clutter acted as a cognitive distraction rather than a threat, limiting its utility for graded exposure. |