ABSTRACT
If you consider the history of scientific discovery, the birth of immersive interactive systems is relatively recent. It is even more recent, if you focus on the use of VR as an experimental tool for the study of human behaviour (Mestre & Vercher, 2011). In behavioural sciences, researchers typically develop experimental devices, enabling them to control both sensorial inputs and behavioural outcomes in participants. In this general context, VR represented, in the 1990s, a significant step forward from two points of view, both linked to the development of computers’ power. First, it enabled controlled, real-time interactive experiments. Secondly, it boosted the realism of experimental contexts. The general idea is that VR promoted the controlled investigation of “ecological’’ situations, and the validity of experimental observations, with reference to real situations (Loomis et al., 1999; Tarr & Warren, 2002).
