Presence experienced in smartphone-based exposure: First and third person perspectives

Various formats to deliver exposure stimuli have been developed, including video based stimuli. Virtual reality-based exposure often utilizes a first-person perspective, which is associated with greater presence (e.g., feeling integrated in a virtual world) than third-person perspective. Yet, few have compared exposure stimuli presented in first-person versus third person perspective. Thus, this study examined presence and anxiety levels associated with exposure video perspective. Participants (N = 18) completed a two-week video-based exposure treatment (i.e., watched one week of first-person perspective film and one week of third person perspective film, counterbalanced). Participants reported anxiety and presence felt during the exposures. Results indicated greater presence was experienced during first-person videos than third-person ones. Anxiety levels did not differ between video perspective. An interaction between perspective and video order was found; those who watched third-person videos during week one reported more anxiety when presented first-person videos than those who watched the reverse order. Results support previous findings that more presence is reported with first-person than third-person perspective. More importantly, this study suggests an innovative way to sequence exposure stimuli so as to maximally sustain therapeutic levels of arousal over the course of treatment.(c) 2020 Association Franc,aise de Therapie Comportementale et Cognitive. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.