JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Key to learning, development and motivation, curiosity is an intrinsic human trait. High curiosity is linked to well-being, whereas lowered curiosity is associated with more severe depressive symptoms. However, to date, the majority of curiosity research relies on self-report assessment and thus risks biased reporting. Virtual Reality (VR), a novel tool increasingly used within mental health research and treatment might represent a potent tool for offering ecologically valid insights into curiosity-driven behaviours, whilst circumventing issues relating to self-report assessments, including demand characteristics and recall bias.

Objective:

Seeking to enhance the assessment of curiosity while building on research aimed at strengthening the evaluation of depressive symptoms through VR, the objective of this study was to explore two hypotheses using a novel VR environment. The first hypothesis stated that curiosity, as assessed through spontaneous interactions and behaviours in VR, correlates with self-reported curiosity, while the second hypothesis posited that VR-based curiosity is inversely associated with the severity of depressive symptoms.

Methods:

This exploratory study employed an observational design and included 100 volunteers with varying levels of depressive symptoms. All volunteers completed self-reported assessments of depressive symptoms and curiosity, before engaging in a novel VR-scenario. In addition to the main objective of completing cognitive tasks, the scenario enabled participants to freely explore the environment and engage with a variety of objects – the latter of which formed the basis for four curiosity metrics used in the current study. After VR-exposure, participants completed a questionnaire assessing cybersickness symptoms.

Results:

Hypothesis 1 received partial support, in that only one curiosity metric, namely object interactions, was positively associated with one aspect of curiosity relating to motivation to seek new knowledge and experiences. Reflecting these results, findings relating to hypothesis 2 indicated that object interactions significantly predicted depressive symptoms, whilst controlling for age, sex and cybersickness symptoms. Sensitivity analyses showed that these findings were specific to depressive symptoms as no associations were found between object interactions and self-reported anxiety and stress symptoms.

Conclusions:

VR may be a potent tool for assessing aspects of curiosity in a controlled, yet ecologically valid environment that avoids issues related to self-report. Thus, whilst further research is needed, this study provides preliminary insights into how assessing curiosity-driven interactions in VR may be a promising avenue that could also further the understanding of the aetiology and assessment of depressive symptoms.