This is a guest lecture as part of SWEN422 (Human Computer Interaction) - https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/SWEN422_2024T1/WebHome

Abstract:

Psychological scientists are increasingly turning to Virtual Reality (VR) to conduct more ecologically valid experiments. One field of research where VR has been particularly impactful is Affective Neuroscience (the study of human emotions). In this lecture, I will dispel some common myths about how human emotions work, explain how emotions actually work (insofar as science has been able to reveal), and equip you with some guidelines and principles for designing emotional VR and measuring emotional effects in user studies.

Bio:
Dr Christopher Maymon (https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/christopher.maymon) is a cognitive scientist and a lecturer in the School of Psychology at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington. The primary focus of his research examines relationships between emotional change and presence, and the extent to which our executive functions (inhibition, attentional control, conflict adaptation) are improved or impaired in intense emotional situations. He started the VR laboratory in the School of Psychology in 2018 and collaborates with cognitive neuroscientists around the globe to leverage the immersive benefits of VR to improve the ecological validity of psychological science.

Zoom: https://vuw.zoom.us/my/swen422