Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure
Haptic feedback serves as a potent affective amplifier in virtual reality (VR), intensifying threat perception to influence emotional intensity. This study investigated how haptic-enhanced fear stimuli (delivered through platform shaking during VR height exposure) impair cognitive performance and av...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560157/full |
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| author | Lin Cong Lin Cong Shan Cheng Chaolin Teng Kaiwen Xiong Meiqing Huang Jin Ma Wendong Hu Jianqi Wang Weitao Dang Kewei Sun Taihui Zhang |
| author_facet | Lin Cong Lin Cong Shan Cheng Chaolin Teng Kaiwen Xiong Meiqing Huang Jin Ma Wendong Hu Jianqi Wang Weitao Dang Kewei Sun Taihui Zhang |
| author_sort | Lin Cong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Haptic feedback serves as a potent affective amplifier in virtual reality (VR), intensifying threat perception to influence emotional intensity. This study investigated how haptic-enhanced fear stimuli (delivered through platform shaking during VR height exposure) impair cognitive performance and avoidance actions. Twenty male participants with self-reported fear of heights were subjected to four emotion-inducing conditions: neutrality, ground, stationary, and shaking, with each condition separated by 1 week. We have multimodal assessed of physiological (EEG, peripheral physiological arousal), behavioral (movement distance, eye movement), and cognitive performance (nine-light task accuracy rates and reaction time) during fear induction. Results revealed significant declines in task accuracy and prolonged reaction times during the shaking condition, indicating resource competition where threat processing impaired goal-directed motor execution. The decreased movement distance and increased pupil dilation indicated the initiation of an automatic defense response. Furthermore, physiological markers confirmed amplified this threat processing. The increased heart rate and elevated β band activity in EEG, indicating heightened cortical engagement with fear stimuli. The integration of physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures provides a mechanistic model for affective-motor competition, demonstrating how somatic threat cues translate into altered actions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-52cf2e079d214dfcbe0bb4d5d949e3f0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-52cf2e079d214dfcbe0bb4d5d949e3f02025-08-20T03:55:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-07-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15601571560157Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposureLin Cong0Lin Cong1Shan Cheng2Chaolin Teng3Kaiwen Xiong4Meiqing Huang5Jin Ma6Wendong Hu7Jianqi Wang8Weitao Dang9Kewei Sun10Taihui Zhang11School of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Biomedical Engineering, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Biomedical Engineering, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaDepartment of Military Medical Psychology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Aerospace Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, ChinaHaptic feedback serves as a potent affective amplifier in virtual reality (VR), intensifying threat perception to influence emotional intensity. This study investigated how haptic-enhanced fear stimuli (delivered through platform shaking during VR height exposure) impair cognitive performance and avoidance actions. Twenty male participants with self-reported fear of heights were subjected to four emotion-inducing conditions: neutrality, ground, stationary, and shaking, with each condition separated by 1 week. We have multimodal assessed of physiological (EEG, peripheral physiological arousal), behavioral (movement distance, eye movement), and cognitive performance (nine-light task accuracy rates and reaction time) during fear induction. Results revealed significant declines in task accuracy and prolonged reaction times during the shaking condition, indicating resource competition where threat processing impaired goal-directed motor execution. The decreased movement distance and increased pupil dilation indicated the initiation of an automatic defense response. Furthermore, physiological markers confirmed amplified this threat processing. The increased heart rate and elevated β band activity in EEG, indicating heightened cortical engagement with fear stimuli. The integration of physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures provides a mechanistic model for affective-motor competition, demonstrating how somatic threat cues translate into altered actions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560157/fullfearhaptic feedbackavoidance behaviorEEGvirtual realitythreat perception |
| spellingShingle | Lin Cong Lin Cong Shan Cheng Chaolin Teng Kaiwen Xiong Meiqing Huang Jin Ma Wendong Hu Jianqi Wang Weitao Dang Kewei Sun Taihui Zhang Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure Frontiers in Psychology fear haptic feedback avoidance behavior EEG virtual reality threat perception |
| title | Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure |
| title_full | Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure |
| title_fullStr | Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure |
| title_short | Haptic feedback as affective amplifier: enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in VR height exposure |
| title_sort | haptic feedback as affective amplifier enhanced fear perception affects cognitive performance and avoidance actions in vr height exposure |
| topic | fear haptic feedback avoidance behavior EEG virtual reality threat perception |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1560157/full |
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