Towards an integrated approach to studying virtual reality-mediated social behaviors

Abstract

The study on social behaviors that are mediated by virtual reality (VR) has become a major challenge for researchers given the increasing popularity of VR in the mass market. In this study, we reviewed and discussed certain issues on studying social behavior toward multi-user VR application in different settings. This study is aimed at proposing an integrated approach to studying VR-mediated social behaviors. The diversity in contexts of multi-user VR applications guarantees extensive research foci, such as team dynamics, trust, and persuasion. An integrated approach that can address this new class of research questions on social behavior in VR is necessary. The traditional research methods may capture various aspects of VR-mediated social behaviors, whereas several methods may demonstrate limitations. This paper explores the possibilities and challenges of an integrated approach to studying VR-mediated social behaviors.