The study will involve taking part in a virtual reality scenario whereby you will experience an implied sexual assault. You will be asked to pay attention to the stimuli as though you are experiencing the event yourself. During this portion of the experiment, heart rate data will be collected. You will then be asked some questions about what you saw or heard afterwards. The interview will be video recorded for transcription and coding purposes. Please note that you will be unable to take part in the study if you do not consent to the interview being video recorded. You will also be asked to complete 2 psychometric tests to measure stress levels before and after taking part in the virtual reality scenario in session 1, and 2 psychometric tests before and after the interview in session 2. You will also be asked to complete a short survey in session 2. Participation requires two sessions separated by one-week, lasting up to a total of 1.5 hours (Session 1 = 15-30 minutes, session 2 = 30-60 minutes). You will receive $20AUD for participating in both sessions of the study.
You must be aged 18 years or older and fluent in English to be eligible to participate in this study.
Exclusion criteria includes pregnancy, pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities, pre-existing psychiatric disorders, pre-existing heart conditions and any other pre-existing serious medical condition (e.g., epilepsy, high blood pressure, migraines, history of heart attack, history of stroke, history of seizures, have a cardiac pacemaker/ICD).
Please note that the study involves an implied sexual assault, and you are advised not to take part in the study if you find that topic distressing. The study involves use of a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, which may cause motion sickness or discomfort. It is advised that you do not take part in this study when you are tired; under the influence of alcohol or drugs; hung-over; have digestive problems; under emotional stress or anxiety; or when suffering from cold, flu, headaches, or earaches, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms.
You will not be eligible to participate if you have participated in this study via SONA before.
Sign up via SONA-paid.
Native Mandarin Speakers: https://usyd-psy-paid.sona-systems.com/exp_info.aspx?experiment_id=158
Native English Speakers: https://usyd-psy-paid.sona-systems.com/exp_info.aspx?experiment_id=160
Email Researcher at dora.zhang@sydney.edu.au for further information.
Ethics committee approval number: 2023_HE000098