The incidence of specific social behaviors can be directly assessed using VR. Within healthcare interactions specifically, the behaviors of both patients and healthcare providers can be evaluated using VR, including the questions they ask, the actions they take, and the decisions they make. Automatic data collection also allows subtle aspects of social interactions to be evaluated for signs of interpersonal bias. 

VR as a measure for studying social processes in health

Virtual humans can play roles like patients or healthcare providers to examine a range of social and interpersonal research questions with total experimental control. VR can be used to examine other social influences on health, such as peer pressure on drinking or smoking or the importance of social support for effective patient communication during physician visits

Syracuse University

-	Antecedent of health behaviors
-	Impact of psychological processes in health
-	Broader social processes in health



VR functions as investigative tool in three broad areas in health psychology

Martingano, A. J., & Persky, S. (2021). Virtual reality expands the toolkit for conducting health psychology research. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 15(7). https://doi-org.libezproxy2.syr.edu/10.1111/spc3.12606

Virtual reality expands the toolkit for conducting health psychology research

VR can immerse participants in realistic simulations of real-world environments to investigate health behaviors (environments meant to trigger cravings for drugs, alcohol or nicotine). These simulations that evoke feelings (addiction cravings) can be valuable aid in research & evaluating the efficacy of experimental treatments and interventions. VR can be adapted to simulate the consequences of unhealthy behaviors using body illusions, wherein the users’ own physical appearance or abilities have changed in response to their health behaviors.



VR as a stimulus for studying health behaviors

VR can be used to manipulate participants’ cognitive or emotional state to experimentally determine effects on health-oriented outcomes. Research on psychological processes is also possible, for instance with stress, which is associated with adverse effects on human health, can be readily manipulated in VR. Realistic virtual scenes depicting heights, spiders, combat, public speaking, and other stressful situations are most commonly used for exposure therapy 

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