Arousing a wide range of emotions within educational virtual reality simulation about major depressive disorder affects knowledge retention

Abstract

The experience of using an educational application, concerning a major depressive disorder simulation, could be anything but pleasant, so the challenges of creating such an application are ample. In this research, the effects of the emotional experience of the players, deriving from the positive ending of the virtual reality (VR) simulation’s embedded narrative or the lack of it, are evaluated. Alongside the investigation of a possible link between the emotional impact of the simulation and information retention, the overall effect of the application in relation to VR presence and body ownership is appraised. Thirty participants over 18 years old tested the application, using an Oculus Rift head-mounted display with a joystick, and their data were recorded by a pre- and a post-questionnaire. The 30 participants have been separated into groups of 15, where the positive ending was accessible to only one of the two groups. The group which experienced the positive ending reported a significant correlation of emotional impact and knowledge retention.