StanfordVR
@stanfordvr.bsky.social
For two decades we have built and studied VR/AR systems that explore the changes in the nature of social interaction. We research how virtual experiences impact people psychologically, and focus on education, nonverbal behavior, climate change & empathy.
People become attached to places they spend time in. 3D maps allow visits in VR. Santoso & colleagues show that visiting distant locations makes even politically conservative participants care about real climate change news in that city, compared to static images.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
September 18, 2025 at 10:03 PM
People become attached to places they spend time in. 3D maps allow visits in VR. Santoso & colleagues show that visiting distant locations makes even politically conservative participants care about real climate change news in that city, compared to static images.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Personality activates differently depending on environmental context. Also in VR!
@davidmmarkowitz.bsky.social shows groups with extraverts excel in large spaces. Extroversion detectable by speech in platforms who can "shard" users by world size for group success.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@davidmmarkowitz.bsky.social shows groups with extraverts excel in large spaces. Extroversion detectable by speech in platforms who can "shard" users by world size for group success.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
July 20, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Personality activates differently depending on environmental context. Also in VR!
@davidmmarkowitz.bsky.social shows groups with extraverts excel in large spaces. Extroversion detectable by speech in platforms who can "shard" users by world size for group success.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@davidmmarkowitz.bsky.social shows groups with extraverts excel in large spaces. Extroversion detectable by speech in platforms who can "shard" users by world size for group success.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@annacqueiroz.bsky.social shows benefits of embodied perspective taking in corporate context. "Becoming" an employee and reliving one's own feedback improved emotional expressions in conversation. And, practice makes perfect, repeating VR training improves skills.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
July 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
@annacqueiroz.bsky.social shows benefits of embodied perspective taking in corporate context. "Becoming" an employee and reliving one's own feedback improved emotional expressions in conversation. And, practice makes perfect, repeating VR training improves skills.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
5 robust, replicated, & meta-analyzed findings from 30 years of psych research in VR. Timeline of events in experiment history, recommendations for consumers & scholars new to the medium, and the DICE model on when to use (and not use) VR.
@nathumbehav.nature.com
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@nathumbehav.nature.com
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
May 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
5 robust, replicated, & meta-analyzed findings from 30 years of psych research in VR. Timeline of events in experiment history, recommendations for consumers & scholars new to the medium, and the DICE model on when to use (and not use) VR.
@nathumbehav.nature.com
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@nathumbehav.nature.com
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
VHIL suggests "30 minutes" for VR sessions. Robby Ratan & colleagues tested it. 30 participants met regularly over 3 months. Duration had an inverted U-shaped relationship with peer social presence. Many peaks are in the 30 minute range but varied by participant.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
May 14, 2025 at 6:09 PM
VHIL suggests "30 minutes" for VR sessions. Robby Ratan & colleagues tested it. 30 participants met regularly over 3 months. Duration had an inverted U-shaped relationship with peer social presence. Many peaks are in the 30 minute range but varied by participant.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
How do groups behave in VR?
Monique Santoso coded 9,000 speech acts to develop Virtual Reality Interaction Dynamics Scheme, 10 speech acts (e.g., disagreements, context-dependent commentary). Prior speech acts and current nonverbal behavior predict group action.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Monique Santoso coded 9,000 speech acts to develop Virtual Reality Interaction Dynamics Scheme, 10 speech acts (e.g., disagreements, context-dependent commentary). Prior speech acts and current nonverbal behavior predict group action.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
May 7, 2025 at 11:13 PM
How do groups behave in VR?
Monique Santoso coded 9,000 speech acts to develop Virtual Reality Interaction Dynamics Scheme, 10 speech acts (e.g., disagreements, context-dependent commentary). Prior speech acts and current nonverbal behavior predict group action.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Monique Santoso coded 9,000 speech acts to develop Virtual Reality Interaction Dynamics Scheme, 10 speech acts (e.g., disagreements, context-dependent commentary). Prior speech acts and current nonverbal behavior predict group action.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Who speaks next?
@PortiaWang.bsky.social analyzed a VR dataset of 77 sessions, 1660 minutes of group meetings over 4 weeks. Verbal & nonverbal history captured at millisecond level predicted turn-taking at nearly 30% over chance. To appear @acm-cscw.bsky.social.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@PortiaWang.bsky.social analyzed a VR dataset of 77 sessions, 1660 minutes of group meetings over 4 weeks. Verbal & nonverbal history captured at millisecond level predicted turn-taking at nearly 30% over chance. To appear @acm-cscw.bsky.social.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
April 28, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Who speaks next?
@PortiaWang.bsky.social analyzed a VR dataset of 77 sessions, 1660 minutes of group meetings over 4 weeks. Verbal & nonverbal history captured at millisecond level predicted turn-taking at nearly 30% over chance. To appear @acm-cscw.bsky.social.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
@PortiaWang.bsky.social analyzed a VR dataset of 77 sessions, 1660 minutes of group meetings over 4 weeks. Verbal & nonverbal history captured at millisecond level predicted turn-taking at nearly 30% over chance. To appear @acm-cscw.bsky.social.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Years went into the large-scale study that honed the cognitive load algorithm for HP Omnicept, measuring pupillometry, saccade, gaze direction, and heart-rate variability. 738 participants, 4 continents, ages 19-61, tasks varying in cognitive load. Now published!
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
April 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Years went into the large-scale study that honed the cognitive load algorithm for HP Omnicept, measuring pupillometry, saccade, gaze direction, and heart-rate variability. 738 participants, 4 continents, ages 19-61, tasks varying in cognitive load. Now published!
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Congrats to @eugyhan.bsky.social who has officially accepted a tenure track position at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication, bringing her stellar research on avatar identity, human perception, and VR classrooms to the Sunshine State.
Go Gators! @ufjschool.bsky.social
Go Gators! @ufjschool.bsky.social
March 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Congrats to @eugyhan.bsky.social who has officially accepted a tenure track position at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication, bringing her stellar research on avatar identity, human perception, and VR classrooms to the Sunshine State.
Go Gators! @ufjschool.bsky.social
Go Gators! @ufjschool.bsky.social
Psychology study of VR/AR emerged in 1992, now 21,000 papers strong. Dave Markowitz used LLMs & human scholars (equal to 61k hours of coding) to explicate the research landscape. Paper & free database of abstracts: vhil.stanford.edu/history.
More than HALF of all papers published after 2019.
More than HALF of all papers published after 2019.
February 10, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Psychology study of VR/AR emerged in 1992, now 21,000 papers strong. Dave Markowitz used LLMs & human scholars (equal to 61k hours of coding) to explicate the research landscape. Paper & free database of abstracts: vhil.stanford.edu/history.
More than HALF of all papers published after 2019.
More than HALF of all papers published after 2019.
In Social VR "two levels" of strangers can be present. Avatars from remote places a virtual room, and physical people you might not know in the room where you don a headset. Eugy Han & colleagues find that both physical and virtual strangers impact social behavior.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
December 11, 2024 at 5:03 PM
In Social VR "two levels" of strangers can be present. Avatars from remote places a virtual room, and physical people you might not know in the room where you don a headset. Eugy Han & colleagues find that both physical and virtual strangers impact social behavior.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
MR headsets make real people less real. Quantitative study by Monique Santoso shows "Social Absence" with Quest 3 use. Passthrough Video basically turns face-to-face interaction into a Zoom call. 30 percent (huge, in social science) difference in social presence.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
December 3, 2024 at 4:16 PM
MR headsets make real people less real. Quantitative study by Monique Santoso shows "Social Absence" with Quest 3 use. Passthrough Video basically turns face-to-face interaction into a Zoom call. 30 percent (huge, in social science) difference in social presence.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
As holiday-gift headsets arrive, remember
passthrough Video inspires awe, but can cause visual aftereffects, lapses in distance judgments, simulator sickness, and "social absence". We recommend caution and restraint for companies lobbying for prolonged daily use.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
passthrough Video inspires awe, but can cause visual aftereffects, lapses in distance judgments, simulator sickness, and "social absence". We recommend caution and restraint for companies lobbying for prolonged daily use.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
December 2, 2024 at 3:23 PM
As holiday-gift headsets arrive, remember
passthrough Video inspires awe, but can cause visual aftereffects, lapses in distance judgments, simulator sickness, and "social absence". We recommend caution and restraint for companies lobbying for prolonged daily use.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
passthrough Video inspires awe, but can cause visual aftereffects, lapses in distance judgments, simulator sickness, and "social absence". We recommend caution and restraint for companies lobbying for prolonged daily use.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Madison Square Garden built the Sphere in Vegas, arguably the best immersive experience in entertainment history. MSG has a long history with VR, for example this Become a Goalie experience which delighted Ranger fans in 2015 (and still is a VHIL Tour staple). One small step forward to The Sphere.
November 29, 2024 at 7:10 PM
Madison Square Garden built the Sphere in Vegas, arguably the best immersive experience in entertainment history. MSG has a long history with VR, for example this Become a Goalie experience which delighted Ranger fans in 2015 (and still is a VHIL Tour staple). One small step forward to The Sphere.
Congrats to Anna Queiroz for her Global Development Photo Award.
"This photo shows a female middle school student from an indigenous village in Brazil. The project aims to reduce the gap between private and public schools"
Her study examines 12,000 Brazilian students in VR. Results soon to follow
"This photo shows a female middle school student from an indigenous village in Brazil. The project aims to reduce the gap between private and public schools"
Her study examines 12,000 Brazilian students in VR. Results soon to follow
November 26, 2024 at 10:53 PM
Congrats to Anna Queiroz for her Global Development Photo Award.
"This photo shows a female middle school student from an indigenous village in Brazil. The project aims to reduce the gap between private and public schools"
Her study examines 12,000 Brazilian students in VR. Results soon to follow
"This photo shows a female middle school student from an indigenous village in Brazil. The project aims to reduce the gap between private and public schools"
Her study examines 12,000 Brazilian students in VR. Results soon to follow
As GenAI algorithms evolve for quickly creating avatar animations, remember that eyegaze, body openness, and personal space alter learning outcomes. Tutors who exhibit dominant/sexist non-verbal behaviors cause worse math learning and performance in students than tutors who do not.
t.co/b9Oz1n4hlN
t.co/b9Oz1n4hlN
November 26, 2024 at 9:42 PM
As GenAI algorithms evolve for quickly creating avatar animations, remember that eyegaze, body openness, and personal space alter learning outcomes. Tutors who exhibit dominant/sexist non-verbal behaviors cause worse math learning and performance in students than tutors who do not.
t.co/b9Oz1n4hlN
t.co/b9Oz1n4hlN
Credit where it is due-the AVP networked "personas" are incredible, especially for gaze direction in triads. First true Apple use that leverages spatiality of the headset? Reminded us to dig up the 20+ year-old Presence cover featuring our first networked avatars.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
November 26, 2024 at 2:36 PM
Credit where it is due-the AVP networked "personas" are incredible, especially for gaze direction in triads. First true Apple use that leverages spatiality of the headset? Reminded us to dig up the 20+ year-old Presence cover featuring our first networked avatars.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
How groups speak in social VR predicts group engagement over time. Self and collective references correlate with presence. Impersonal speech correlates with large interpersonal distance between avatars. 130,000 words used in NLP study by Cyan DeVeaux & colleagues.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
November 26, 2024 at 2:31 PM
How groups speak in social VR predicts group engagement over time. Self and collective references correlate with presence. Impersonal speech correlates with large interpersonal distance between avatars. 130,000 words used in NLP study by Cyan DeVeaux & colleagues.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
The OECD embraces our DICE model, suggests focusing VR use on Dangerous, Impossible, Counterproductive or Expensive experiences. New international governance report highlights largescale wins, cautions downsides, reviews regulations over countries & provides actionable policy advice.
t.co/iVpxg4qYyq
t.co/iVpxg4qYyq
November 26, 2024 at 2:25 PM
The OECD embraces our DICE model, suggests focusing VR use on Dangerous, Impossible, Counterproductive or Expensive experiences. New international governance report highlights largescale wins, cautions downsides, reviews regulations over countries & provides actionable policy advice.
t.co/iVpxg4qYyq
t.co/iVpxg4qYyq
Moving in VR helps creativity. New paper by Eugy Han & colleagues examined 137 designers, who iterated and revised more when avatars were allowed to teleport and translate freely, compared to when their avatar's movements were restricted to sitting in chairs.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 25, 2024 at 12:14 AM
Moving in VR helps creativity. New paper by Eugy Han & colleagues examined 137 designers, who iterated and revised more when avatars were allowed to teleport and translate freely, compared to when their avatar's movements were restricted to sitting in chairs.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
VR can be used to study the process of prayer. Tanya Luhrmann & colleagues present a theoretical framework to study "unseen others", and present data showing the effect of seeing ghosts of Leland Stanford Jr. & John Hennessey (compared to only hearing narration).
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
November 24, 2024 at 11:43 PM
VR can be used to study the process of prayer. Tanya Luhrmann & colleagues present a theoretical framework to study "unseen others", and present data showing the effect of seeing ghosts of Leland Stanford Jr. & John Hennessey (compared to only hearing narration).
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Fernanda Herrera's work on embodiment shows importance of examining body movement in VR. In a non-convenience sample of 937:
1) choosing one's own avatar skin color increases learning transfer
2) How one moves in the scene matters-just being in VR is not enough
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
1) choosing one's own avatar skin color increases learning transfer
2) How one moves in the scene matters-just being in VR is not enough
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
November 24, 2024 at 7:13 PM
Fernanda Herrera's work on embodiment shows importance of examining body movement in VR. In a non-convenience sample of 937:
1) choosing one's own avatar skin color increases learning transfer
2) How one moves in the scene matters-just being in VR is not enough
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
1) choosing one's own avatar skin color increases learning transfer
2) How one moves in the scene matters-just being in VR is not enough
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Many parents ask about kids in the VR given the rise of Gorilla Tag and other apps seemingly run by kids. Research by Marijn Mado, @fauville.bsky.social & colleagues surveyed over 300 families who use VR. Clearly parents are not able to abide by headset age limits.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
November 24, 2024 at 6:28 PM
Many parents ask about kids in the VR given the rise of Gorilla Tag and other apps seemingly run by kids. Research by Marijn Mado, @fauville.bsky.social & colleagues surveyed over 300 families who use VR. Clearly parents are not able to abide by headset age limits.
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
vhil.stanford.edu/publications...
Cyan DeVeaux and colleagues studied @recroom.bsky.social and @vrchat.com avatar creation & use. Discrepancy across 13 objective features (i.e., skin color, eye shape) reduced psychological bond between users & their avatars. Asian participants showed particularly high discrepancy.
t.co/TbkxP34axn
t.co/TbkxP34axn
November 24, 2024 at 6:09 PM
Cyan DeVeaux and colleagues studied @recroom.bsky.social and @vrchat.com avatar creation & use. Discrepancy across 13 objective features (i.e., skin color, eye shape) reduced psychological bond between users & their avatars. Asian participants showed particularly high discrepancy.
t.co/TbkxP34axn
t.co/TbkxP34axn
Imagine making claims about the medium of television if almost every study had subjects see an actual TV for the very first time, and only watched a single show.
VR becomes more "real" as people adjust and learn. VHIL longitudinal study examines hundreds of VR scenes over months.
t.co/CDTGzftHQV
VR becomes more "real" as people adjust and learn. VHIL longitudinal study examines hundreds of VR scenes over months.
t.co/CDTGzftHQV
November 23, 2024 at 5:53 PM
Imagine making claims about the medium of television if almost every study had subjects see an actual TV for the very first time, and only watched a single show.
VR becomes more "real" as people adjust and learn. VHIL longitudinal study examines hundreds of VR scenes over months.
t.co/CDTGzftHQV
VR becomes more "real" as people adjust and learn. VHIL longitudinal study examines hundreds of VR scenes over months.
t.co/CDTGzftHQV