Real phobias in a virtual space


There’s always someone who’s afraid of spiders. To demonstrate how treatment works, Gerwin Kramer, developed different virtual spiders, which – as in real life – can walk about or drop down from above. By having people remain in the space until their fear reaches a peak, you can show them that their anxiety will gradually diminish.

The great advantage of this kind of therapy is the amount of manipulation you can do. What’s more, in real life you can’t predict how a spider will behave but you can manipulate the movements of a virtual spider. You can make things a little more predictable, which makes therapy easier.

Last modified: | 02 October 2015 10.24 p.m. |
More news
-
26 April 2023
Royal Decorations for UG staff members
Two professors nominated by the University of Groningen have been awarded Royal Decorations on Tuesday 26 April. Professor K.U. Loos is appointed Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. She received this honour from Mayor K. Schuiling at...
-
26 April 2023
Cisca Wijmenga in Raad van Toezicht Hanzehogeschool
Cisca Wijmenga treedt per 1 september 2023 toe tot de Raad van Toezicht van de Hanzehogeschool.
-
25 April 2023
Response to the letter to the House of Representatives regarding internationalization
The Board of the University of Groningen has taken note of the Letter to the House of Representatives regarding internationalization in higher education, sent to the House on Friday 21 April by the Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert...