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The Vibrotactile Paradox: Corrective and Reenforcing Feedback in Educational VR

  • Conference paper
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Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN 2024)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 2271))

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Abstract

This study pursues two goals. First, to investigate the relationship between vibrotactile feedback and sense of presence in VR. Second, to better understand the ways in which corrective and reenforcing feedback can influence STEM learning outcomes in a VR environment called [Looking Inside Cells]. The VR experience consists of a tutorial and two learning activities. The first level, “Build a cell”, relies on corrective feedback. The second level, “Mitosis” employs reenforcing feedback. A vibration in the Build level signals a mistake. A vibration in Mitosis rewards the learner for correct actions. We ran a within-subject design experiment (N = 68) in which participants got randomly assigned to a vibrotactile and non-vibrotactile condition. We tested two hypotheses: Participants with a higher sense of presence achieve higher post assessment scores. Participants in the vibrotactile-condition report higher sense of presence ratings compared to the non-haptic condition. Results indicate that vibrotactile feedback increases the sense of presence and impacts metacognition, which might influence learning outcomes. Participants who received corrective feedback as a vibrotactile stimuli are more likely to underestimate their actual test performance but report higher satisfaction compared to the non-vibrotactile condition. The results highlight the importance of haptic feedback in VR environments. This study might help guide engineers and designers in creating beneficial VR experiences by considering the affordances of the medium and the cognitive mechanisms underlying human computer interaction.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University, New York, NY, 10012, USA

    Fabian Froehlich & Jan L. Plass

  2. The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Bruce D. Homer

Authors
  1. Fabian Froehlich
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  2. Bruce D. Homer
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  3. Jan L. Plass
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabian Froehlich .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Jule M. Krüger

  2. Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Santarém, Portugal

    Daniela Pedrosa

  3. University of Arkansas, Arkansas, AR, USA

    Dennis Beck

  4. Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Marie-Luce Bourguet

  5. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany

    Andreas Dengel

  6. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Rami Ghannam

  7. University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK

    Alan Miller

  8. BT Research Labs, Ipswich, UK

    Anasol Peña-Rios

  9. University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA

    Jonathon Richter

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Disclosure of Interests

The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Appendix

Appendix

The interview follows the “funnel of specificity” strategy. It will be semi-structured. The following question prompts help to start the interview:

Tell me how you feel?

What thoughts come to your mind now?

How did the VR experience compare to your expectations?

Which aspect of the VR experience did you find most enjoyable?

Were there any parts of the VR experience that were uncomfortable or unpleasant for you?

How did it feel to interact with the objects/ organelles?

Did you feel like you had control over your actions in the VR environment?

What do you think about the haptic vest?

Recapture for me, what did the vibrations tell you during the levels?

How do you feel about the vibrating controllers?

How likely are you to use VR technology again in the future?

Would you recommend this VR experience to others? Why or why not?

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Froehlich, F., Homer, B.D., Plass, J.L. (2025). The Vibrotactile Paradox: Corrective and Reenforcing Feedback in Educational VR. In: Krüger, J.M., et al. Immersive Learning Research Network. iLRN 2024. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 2271. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80475-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80475-5_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-80474-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-80475-5

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