Virtual worlds are increasingly being used by researchers as a place to conduct experiments and research that may otherwise not be possible in the physical world. Most experiments conducted in the virtual world take place in Second Life.

“Second Life provides an open platform for creativity and experimentation. That makes it very popular with academics, who use it to research everything from urban planning to computer science to psychology,” says John Lester, the operations director at Linden Lab, which created Second Life.

Behavioral Associates’ Jayme Renee Albin conducts research on the treatment of phobias, specifically the fear of flying, in the virtual world, which allows patients to be exposed to environments that would normally be overwhelming for them to face. “It allows for the ability of control and accessibility for repeated exposures,” Albin says. “As long as the subjects are viscerally aroused in the virtual world the treatment can be effective.”

Meanwhile, Wesleyan University professor Matt Kurtz led a National institute of Mental Health study that simulated a four-room apartment in a virtual reality environment to help researchers learn more about the neurocognitive skills of people with schizophrenia and their ability to take medications on schedule. Virtual worlds could be used by clinicians to see how easy it will be for a client, based on his or her cognitive skills, to remember to take different medications at different times, Kurtz says.

Source: Linux Insider

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