Celia Kessassi thesis defense

Abstract : Virtual reality has shown promise in treating social anxiety through virtual reality exposure therapies. In these therapies, users are exposed to stressful situations and gradually learn to adjust their affective responses.
Exposing users to a stressful but safe environment is crucial for a successful exposure. This requires controlling the level of stress induced by the virtual environments. Literature shows that virtual reality applications are capable of inducing stress; however, it remains unclear how designers can precisely control this level of stress. To address this gap, we propose a model of stress that outlines a mechanism through which stress can be controlled during virtual social evaluation scenarios.
The model suggests that users’ stress levels are influenced by the friendliness and dominance levels of the virtual agents, with this effect mediated by the users’ sense of social presence. To test this model, three studies involving 141 participants in social tasks, such as public speaking and job interviews, were conducted. The results indicate that agents’ friendliness and dominance levels influence users’ stress levels, however, further investigations are needed to address the limitations encountered and verify the model.