title: Behavioral avoidance dynamics in the presence of a virtual spider.
abstract: Tracking behavior with a virtual spider and a neutral target is compared in fearful and nonfearful subjects. Head-tracking in virtual environments appears to be a scale-free behavior with long-range fractal-like patterns. Moreover, these fractal patterns change according to what the target affords the tracker and the level of behavioral avoidance manifested by the subjects. Results are interpreted in terms of ecological psychology and nonlinear dynamics, and implications for virtual reality (VR) psychology are outlined.
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec à Hull, Canada. patrice_renaud.@uqo.ca
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Proulx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004777:Environment; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013112:Spiders; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014584:User-Computer Interface