CUTTING EDGE DEVELOPMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY: VIRTUAL REALITY APPLICATIONS. INTERVIEW WITH TWO LEADING EXPERTS

Vol X, No. 1, 2010 Comments (0)

Daniel DAVID*1,2
¹Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) has captured the attention of professionals in the filed of psychology as a highly promising method/tool in the assessment and management of various psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, pain, ADHD). The International Institute for the Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health at the Babes-Bolyai University has recently developed a complex Virtual Reality Platform with multiple applications in the field of applied psychology (e.g., psychological assessment, psychotherapy, education, motor rehabilitation) (www.clinicalpsychology.ro). To explore the cutting-edge developments in the field, I spoke to two leading experts in VR applications in psychology about the potential and benefits of this technology: Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo and Ken Graap. The current state, future developments and challenges are discussed.

Keywords: virtual reality, psychotherapy, assessment, technology

Pages: 115-125