Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) has proven effective for treating anxiety disorders, yet little is known about how different Virtual Reality (VR) simulation methods compare in their ability to evoke emotional responses. This study examined three methods -- binaural-audio-based, 180° stereoscopic video-based, and computer-generated VR -- to determine their effectiveness in eliciting fear and joy. Twelve participants experienced all methods, each presenting dogs exhibiting friendly, neutral, and aggressive behaviors.
Emotional responses and sense of presence were measured after each behavior block and retrospectively.
Results indicate that computer-generated and video-based VR elicit significantly higher levels of fear and joy compared to audio-only, with computer-generated VR producing higher fear responses in aggressive scenarios. Despite similar effectiveness, production requirements differed substantially: computer-generated VR required approximately six times longer than video-based VR. These findings suggest that while computer-generated VR may offer optimal emotional engagement for VRET, video-based approaches provide a resource-efficient alternative with comparable emotion elicitation.