Thank you for your interest in taking part in our study exploring how people experience forest environments in virtual reality. After you have read this notice, you will be given an opportunity to ask questions about the study. Then, you will be asked to give your consent to participate.
Exclusion criteria
Participation in this study is not recommended for individuals who:
- Are prone to motion sickness, dizziness, vertigo, or seizures.
- Have medical conditions that could be aggravated by the use of a VR headset.
- Are currently experiencing illness, significant fatigue, or symptoms that may interfere with participation.
- Have uncorrected vision or hearing impairments that may affect their ability to perceive the VR environment.
Participants should ensure they are feeling well on the day of the session. The VR headset can be worn over normal glasses.
Purpose of the study
This research explores how people experience and relate to forest environments in virtual reality. The study aims to deepen our understanding of how virtual nature experiences may influence people’s connection with the natural world.
Procedure
After completing this initial questionnaire, you will receive an email with instructions for scheduling a session at Tampere University Central Campus. During the study, your task will be to navigate a virtual forest environment along a path. After the VR experience, you will be asked fill out a questionare related to your experience. A small number of participants may also be invited for a short follow-up interview. Participation is voluntary, and you may take a break or withdraw from the study at any time. The in-person session will take approximately 40 minutes.
Benefits and risks related to the study
No significant benefits or risks have been identified. The results of this study may contribute to a deeper understanding of how different virtual experiences influence user perceptions and decision-making in VR environments, including games, simulations, and educational applications. The findings may also inform research and practice related to nature experiences, environmental psychology, and VR design by providing insights into mechanisms that support meaningful and engaging experiences.
The only potential risk is mild motion sickness associated with the use of a VR headset. None of the equipment used poses a significant risk or should induce pain, and the headset can be comfortably worn over normal glasses. There are no known health, social, or economic risks associated with the methodology used. A low risk exists regarding the potential identification of participants by external parties; however, all personal data will be stored and handled in accordance with Tampere University data protection regulations to prevent this.
Confidentiality, data processing and storage
The research data collected about you will be handled confidentially in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Finnish Data Protection Act. Personal data will be pseudonymised by assigning a number for each participant (e.g. P1, P2, etc.), which will be used during processing (only the primary researcher will retain the details of each individual participant). The pseudonymised data will be stored on a shared storage which is protected with 2-factor authentication and access will only be provided to co-authors on the study. No personally-identifiable information will be made available.
The privacy protection of individuals is assured in scientific and other publications
The research files and the data collected for the study will be preserved at Tampere University for 3 years, after which they will be destroyed. Pseudonymous data (demographics, psychometrics measurements, and interview transcriptions) will be archived at Finnish Social Science Data Archive FSD. For more information, please refer to the privacy notice: Privacy Notice
Funders
This work is supported by the Academy of Finland Flagship Programme [Grant No. 337653 - Forest-Human-Machine Interplay (UNITE).
Voluntariness
Participation in the study is completely voluntary and you can withdraw your participation at any time. You can also suspend your participation for a period of your choosing. If the participant decides to withdraw, all data that were previously collected would be destroyed. Once data has been collected and anonymized, it will no longer be possible to withdraw participation.
Contact Information
For more information about the study you may contact laura.cosio@tuni.fi.
Researchers’ contact details
Laura Diana Cosio, Doctoral Researcher, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Gameful Futures Lab, Kanslerinrinne 1, 33014 Tampere University
Email: laura.cosio@tuni.fi
Principal Investigator
Professor Juho Hamari, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Gamification Group, Kanslerinrinne 1, 33014 Tampere University, Email: juho.hamari@tuni.fi
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