2010 Winter Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Winter 2010, Volume 3, Issue 4

 

  EDITORIAL

Let me take this opportunity to welcome readers to the Winter 2010 issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy & Re- habilitation (JCR). Our peer-reviewed academic journal continues to promote and explore advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, prevention and rehabil- itation. With the end of 2010 drawing to a close, we take this time to reflect on the advancement and recognition JCR has received. We have seen our exposure grow, partly as a result of newly acquired indexing with Scopus and Embase, Cabell’s, Gale, EBSCO and PsycINFO. JCR continues to reach an ever-expanding number of readers around the globe, both as subscribers and at var- ious academic conferences.

In the first article of this issue, Cho and Lee describe the creation and implementation of a virtual optokinetic stimulation program to treat pseudoneglect in healthy individuals. Results and whether the program might be applicable in a clinical setting are addressed as well.

In the second paper, Valtchanov and Ellard explore physiological and affective responses to immersion in Virtual Reality (VR) to determine which environments, natural versus urban, have the most soothing effects on stress.

Next, Lister, Piercey, and Joordens discuss the effective- ness of VR to treat fear of public speaking and expound on future areas of application.

The following paper by Kündiger et al. addresses an online counseling system to treat eating disorders, and how it can complement more traditional methods of treatment and therapy. Level of acceptance for patients is discussed and ways in which to make the program more effective and user-friendly.

An interesting study by Wiederhold, Gavshon, and Wiederhold explores the combination of psychodynamic psychotherapy and VR. Often VR is used in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy, but its use with other types of therapy have found success as well.

A final paper by Santos-Ruiz et al. explores whether the Trier Social Stress Test can be integrated with VR environments to effectively measure levels of stress and anx- iety.

I would like to send a sincere thanks to contributing au- thors for their inspiring work and dedication to this field of research. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Editors – Professors Botella, Bouchard, Gamberini and Riva for their continued leadership and hard work, as well as or internationally renowned Editorial Board for their contributions. Our board continues to grow, representing diverse disciplines, countries, and areas of expertise.

We continue to strive to provide readers with engaging, informative material, as well as extra supplements, including the newly added continuing education quizzes and book reviews. As always, we welcome your input and suggestions on ways to strengthen JCR’s scientific rigor and visibility. As well as input and recommendations, we welcome new submissions from scholars, researchers, and academics, instructions for which can be found in the back of the journal.

We look forward to providing our readers with cutting-edge studies and information in the upcoming year, and thank you for your continued support.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

2010 Fall Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Fall 2010, Volume 3, Issue 3

 

 EDITORIAL

We are pleased to bring the Fall 2010 issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (JCR) to our expand- ing audience around the world. Our quarterly published peer-reviewed academic journal explores the uses of ad- vanced technologies for therapy, training, education, prevention and rehabilitation. JCR continues to actively focus on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of applying groundbreaking technology towards the field of healthcare.

To educate our readers on new advancements in fields such as robotics, adaptive displays, E-health, virtual re- ality (VR) and non-invasive physiological monitoring as they are applied to diverse disciplines in healthcare, we present comprehensive articles submitted by preeminent scholars in the field. This issue includes topics such as the creation of a virtual aquatic world to aid in education and using night vision during operations to possibly allow greater VR immersion for patients while in surgery.

In the first article of this issue, Wrzesien presents a pilot evaluation of a virtual interactive learning system aiming to teach children about the Mediterranean Sea and relevant ecological issues. The author also considers ways to improve the software after receiving preliminary feed- back.

Next, King, Delfabbro and Griffiths show the reader how cognitive-behavioral therapy might be employed to treat addicts of video games and discuss preliminary treatment techniques for such an addiction.

Thirdly, Rodrigues, Sauzéon, Wallet and N’Kaoua present a study comparing subjects’ spatial performance on a pedestrian route based on the type of learning environment, real or virtual, the exploration mode used during the learning phase and the type of spatial test administered at retrieval. Through this study the authors hope to further

In the fourth article Cowan et al. discuss a serious game for the purpose of teaching orthopedic surgery residents a total knee arthroplasty procedure using a problem based learning approach. The study assessed user per- ceptions of the game’s ease of use and potential for learning and engagement.

In the following article, Stadie et al. examine the differences in efficacy of reconstructing a 3-D arrangement of objects presented as a real model, a magnetic resonance image (MRI) or a VR model. The findings were then ap- plied to real life scenarios aiming to optimize the visual basis for anatomy training and surgery planning.

In the sixth article, Mosso et al. present results of surgeries performed on rabbits using night vision goggles and list ways in which this could benefit patients in the future, such as allowing for greater immersion and distrac- tion during operations using VR in a dark room.

Lastly, Tse and Ho address the management of chronic pain in the elderly population, focusing on a non-pharmacological method known as multisensory stimulation therapy.

While continuing to provide our readers with the latest scholarly studies presented in an informative and engag- ing medium, we will continue to offer the newly added Continuing Education quiz (see page 337 for more details) each issue. In addition, we will now be bringing the readers book reviews, the first of which appears in this issue on page 334, discussing “Interface Fantasy: A Lacanian Cyborg Ontology” by André Nusselder.

Although JCR has been receiving international attention from peers, international institutions and international conferences for some time, we are excited to inform readers that JCR is also continuing to become more widely known and recognized by the scientific commu- nity, as evidenced by the fact that it is now indexed with PsycINFO, Elsevier, Cabell’s, Gale and EBSCO. This recognition will further our cause to inform the wider community about ways in which healthcare can benefit from the applications of advanced technologies.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the contributing authors for their inspiring work and ded- ication to this field of research. I also want to as always thank JCR’s Associate Editors – Professors Botella, Bouchard, Gamberini and Riva for their leadership and hard work, as well as or internationally renowned Edi- torial Board for their contributions. Thank you also to our outside reviewers for taking the time to ensure the rigorous nature of the articles.

As always, we welcome your submissions, comments, and thoughts on innovation.

Lastly, I would like to recognize what a huge success our 15th CyberPsychology & CyberTherapy Conference, held in Seoul, Korea in June, was. As you know, JCR is one of the two official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training & Rehabilitation (iACToR). The annual international conference series agreed, in 2009, to become the official conference of iACToR. So, along with CyberPsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking Journal (CPB&SN), CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (C&R) Magazine, and JCR, we cele- brate our Combined Communications Platform. We are very excited for next year’s conference to be held June 20-22 in Gatineau, Canada.

We look forward to the future growth of our cause and thank you, our readers and subscribers, for your continued support.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

2010 Spring Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Spring 2010, Volume 3, Issue 1

 

EDITORIAL

Welcome, readers and researchers, to the Spring 2010 issue of the Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (JCR). Our peer-reviewed quarterly academic journal continues to explore and support the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, preven- tion and rehabilitation. JCR is unique in the fact that it focuses on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of applying ground-breaking technology towards the field of healthcare, with an emphasis on the fields of psychi- atry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncology, obesity, eating disorders and autism.

With a growing international base of readers and sup- porters driven by a similar goal of advancing the use of technology in the healthcare sector, JCR has re- ceived positive attention from peers, international in- stitutions and international conferences. To keep readers abreast of new developments, within this issue of JCR we present comprehensive articles submitted by preeminent scholars in the field, featuring such top- ics as combining physical activity with learning in an augmented reality setting, including the sense of ol- faction more commonly in VR, and how communica- tion is used in virtual worlds like Second Life.

In the first article Voorhees et al. study the relationship between attitude and adherence to treatment in adoles- cents with sub-threshold depression in order to improve public health strategies to prevent depressive disorders.

Next, Baus and Bouchard address the sense of olfaction and ways in which it can further and enrich VR any ad- vocate the growth of the field while discussing possible applications in virtual environments.

In an attempt to merge learning and physical activity in the classroom, Hsiao next looks at using augmented re- ality and VR applications to provide more effective teaching methods and increase retention, while provid- ing much-needed exercise to the younger population at the same time.

In the fourth article, Alquda et al. use Virtual Humans to look at how race and sex can affect how people interpret others’ pain, pain coping skills, related mood, and other factors.

Lastly, Park discusses the use of Second Life as an ex- ample of how activities in virtual worlds might be used as a communication environment to better understand each other, with an emphasis in this study on gender.

As well as continuing to provide our readers with the latest studies presented in an informative and engaging medium, we will be offering one Continuing Education quiz per issue as a further added service to our sub- scribers and others interested in supporting their educa- tion. For more information, see page 95.

I would like to sincerely thank the contributing authors for their inspiring work and dedication to this field of research. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Editors – Professor Botella, Professor Bouchard, Professor Gamberini and Professor Riva for their leadership and hard work, as well as or internationally renowned Edi- torial Board for their contributions. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome new Board members – Linda A. Jackson of Michigan State University, Julian Dooley of Edith Cowan University, Wijnand IJsselsteijn from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Joshua Fogel from the University of New York, and XiaoXiang Zheng of Zhejiang University – whose diverse back- ground and placement around the globe will bring added richness to our board. We encourage readers and sub- scribers to contact us with ideas and we welcome sub- missions. Your input continues to enrich our publication.

With the start of a new year, new possibilities abound and we will continue to promote the growth of the di- verse field of advanced technologies for healthcare in Europe and worldwide. We are happy to count you as a part of this movement and thank you for your continued support.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

2009 Winter Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Winter 2009, Volume 2, Issue 4

 

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Winter 2009 issue of the Journal of Cy- berTherapy & Rehabilitation (JCR). We are pleased to bring this special issue of our publication to readers, critics and researchers around the world. Our peer-re- viewed academic journal explores the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, prevention and rehabilitation. JCR is a quarterly published aca- demic journal, unique in the fact that it focuses on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of applying ground- breaking technology towards the field of healthcare. Psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabil- itation, neurorehabilitation, oncology, obesity, eating disorders and autism continue to be main areas of inter- est studied by JCR.

Since our inaugural issue, JCR has received interna- tional attention from peers, international institutions and international conferences. A common thirst for new knowledge and application of cutting-edge technolo- gies to better the lives of others brings this diverse group of people towards a similar goal. Advanced tech- nologies, such as robotics, adaptive displays, E-health, virtual reality (VR) and non-invasive physiological monitoring are now applied to many diverse fields of healthcare. As this body of research is added to, pa- tients, doctors and therapists can look towards a hopeful future and new ways to treat mental and physical dis- orders. Within this issue of JCR, we present compre- hensive review articles submitted by preeminent scholars in the field. The content is diverse, featuring such topics as VR immersions, the effects of video game playing and even online forums to treat sufferers of disease.

This special issue of JCR includes three full papers, as well as all presented abstracts, written by presenters from the “Beyond Brain Machine Interface: Motor, Cognitive and Virtual” pre-conference workshop, held September 2, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conference, co-organized by the Army Research Office, IEEE EMBS and the Interactive Media Institute, edu- cated attendees on more efficient and intuitive ways of achieving system control than manual manipulation and allowed for discourse among academics, members of the scientific community, biomedical device engineers and the clinician user community. Scientists from five different countries and ten diverse institutions gathered to discuss these technologies and developments in their fields of research, and gave formal presentations on their papers.

In this issue’s first article Cai, Milcent and Franco ex- plore the human-machine visual digest system by fo- cusing on the relationship between gaze and object. They describe ways to better utilize network bandwidth and in turn, minimize the resulting media footprint by combining human vision and machine vision.

Next, Scherer et al. discuss brain-computer interface re- search using EEG and ECoG-based paradigms that are presented to the reader, along with ways to improve in- formation transfer rates. Different BCI projects are dis- cussed, such as an anatomically correct testbed for a human hand model.

In the following article, Raspelli et al. conduct further research on the Multiple Errands Test, applying virtual reality to assess executive functions in patients suffer- ing from Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

In the fourth manuscript, Pallavicini et al. report find- ings on a study to treat sufferers of Generalized Anxiety Disorder using biofeedback, virtual reality and mobile phones. The use of mobile phones allowed patients to continue treatment in an outpatient setting and ad- dresses the classic problem associated with VR ther- apy–the lack of mobility for the treatment system.

Gras, Hummer and Hine, in the fifth manuscript, com- pare the reliability and validity of the Nintendo Wii Fit to the widely used NeuroCom EquiTest, to measure bal- ance and help rehabilitate patients.

Lastly, Cantelmi and Talli explain the psychological and psychopathological risks associated with overuse of the Internet, including the problems associated with defining a relevant syndrome, possible diagnostic cri- teria and possible therapies for treatment.

This issue of JCR will continue to explore the ways in which healthcare, in Europe and worldwide, can benefit from the applications of technology. I would like to sin- cerely thank the contributing authors for their inspiring work and dedication to this field of research. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Editors – Professor Botella, Professor Bouchard, Professor Gamberini and Professor Riva for their leadership and hard work, as well as our internationally renowned Editorial Board for their contributions. We encourage readers and subscribers to con- tact us with ideas and manuscripts. Your input continues to enrich our publication. Looking to 2010, we are op- timistic as this diverse field continues to grow and at- tract those wishing to learn more and those already supporting and implementing new technologies. With only more room to grow, we will continue to bring you news of further developments in the upcoming year.

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

2009 Summer Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Summer 2009, Volume 2, Issue 2

 

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Summer 2009 issue of the Journal of CyberTher- apy & Rehabilitation (JCR). We are pleased to bring the fifth issue of our publication to readers, critics and researchers around the world. Our peer-reviewed academic journal explores the uses of advanced technologies for therapy, training, education, pre- vention and rehabilitation. JCR is a quarterly-published aca- demic journal, unique in the fact that it focuses on the rapidly expanding worldwide trend of applying ground-breaking tech- nology towards the field of healthcare. Psychiatry, psychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncol- ogy, obesity, eating disorders and autism continue to be main areas of interest studied by JCR.

Since our inaugural issue, JCR has received attention from peers, international institutions and international conferences. A common thirst for new knowledge and application of cutting-edge technolo- gies to better the lives of others drives this diverse group of people towards a similar goal. Advanced technologies, such as robotics, adaptive displays, E-health, virtual reality (VR) and non-invasive physiological monitoring are now applied to many diverse fields of healthcare. As this body of research is added to, patients, doctors and therapists can look towards a hopeful future and new ways to treat mental and physical disorders. The content of this issue of JCR reflects our diversity, featuring such topics as VR immersions, the effects of video game playing and online forums to treat suf- ferers of disease.

In the first article Wang and Reid explore the application of a virtual reality-cognitive rehabilitation (VR-CR) approach in treating autism in children. In this study, virtual reality (VR) was used as an interactive, cognitive-focused treatment which allowed for greater flexibility than traditional methods for treating autism.

Next, Murray presents research based on the treatment of phan- tom limb pain in amputees using VR. Studies using research stemming from traditional “mirror-box” methods were con- ducted and Murray looks closely at three VR systems that were implemented in the treatment of phantom limb pain.

In the third article, Aime, Cotton and Bouchard take a close look at women suffering from eating disorders and implement VR as an experimental new form of treatment for these patients. VR im- mersions were conducted to assess whether or not treatment was successful in helping women suffering from eating disorders as well as overall concern over their weight and shape.

Bouchard, St-Jacques, Renaud and Wiederhold, in the fourth manuscript, address the side effects of immersions in VR for people suffering from anxiety disorders. In this study, researchers used a sample group of patients suffering from anxieties of various types and measured reports of side effects before and after VR immer- sions to determine whether or not patients and therapists should be concerned about the lasting complications of side effects.
In the fifth paper, King and Delfabbro present findings on re- search detailing motivational differences in video game play. Factors that were considered include motivation to play video games, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and total time spent playing. These findings can be used to help video game players determine if their playing behavior points to a problematic level of involvement.

In another article addressing video game playing, Wang and Yang explore the relationships between thrill seeking, perceived risk and aggressive tendencies and how these factors relate to the acceptance of playing violent video games. Behavioral in- tention was also closely studied as well as differences in male and female gaming styles.

Lastly, Fullwood and Wootton examine the possibilities of com- puter-mediated communication (CMC) to help patients deal with emotionally-sensitive issues. To do so, an online support forum produced by the National Society of Epilepsy was used. Key fac- tors, such as anonymity and willingness for disclosure, were studied and used to determine whether CMC meets criteria for offering support to sufferers.

Future issues of JCR will continue to explore the ways in which healthcare, in Europe and worldwide, can benefit from innova- tive applications of technology. I would like to sincerely thank the contributing authors for their inspiring work and dedication to this field of research. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Ed- itors – Professor Botella, Professor Bouchard, Professor Gam- berini and Professor Riva for their leadership and hard work, as well as our internationally renowned Editorial Board for their contributions. We encourage readers and subscribers to contact us with ideas and manuscripts. Thank you again for your support of JCR. We look forward to providing you with more ways in which technology is contributing to increased quality of life in citizens of the world.

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute

2009 Spring Editorial

Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Spring 2009, Volume 2, Issue 1

 

                                                                EDITORIAL

As we begin 2009, I want to say “vielen herzlichen Dank” to all those who believed in our new Journal of CyberTherapy    &    Rehabilitation    ( JCR)    and    encouraged its formation. JCR was founded after many requests from the community and exists to support the communi- ty. Our inaugural year, 2008, is now behind us, and I am pleased at the reception given by those already in the community, as well as those just discovering the benefits of adding technology to existing healthcare methods and protocols. JCR has thus far published articles by researchers and scientists from around the globe, and is disseminating its newest findings and research through advanced technologies to multiple continents and over thirty-nine countries. Led by an internationally renowned Editorial Board, JCR’s authors and board members currently hail from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. JCR is truly international and our aim is to disseminate premier research findings to all corners of the globe.

I am also proud to say that our companion publication, CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation (C&R) Magazine, was launched in December 2008. While JCR is a peer- reviewed, scientific journal, C&R serves as the voice of our association and covers clinically focused and prac- tice-driven articles, congress reports, news and other relevant topics appealing to a wider readership includ- ing industry professionals, policy makers, clinicians, and individual citizens.

In 2008, I had the sincere pleasure of participating in many international conferences, in addition to organizing the 13th annual CyberTherapy Conference in San Diego. Each conference was for me an enjoyable learn- ing experience, and I left each full of amazement at how far we have come. It is inspiring to hear both newcom- ers and veterans of cyber-psychology, therapy, training, and rehabilitation reporting on new discoveries; expand- ing this seemingly infinite field.

As Editor-in-Chief of the official journal of the 14th annual CyberTherapy & CyberPsychology conference (CT14), I am especially looking forward to the upcom- ing international conference which is being held in beau- tiful Lago Maggiore (Verbania), Italy 21-23 June 2009. CT14 has already gained much attention from interna- tional organizations and, as in years past, promises to host an international crowd of pre-eminent scientists and industry leaders.

This issue of JCR encompasses research from some of the finest scholars in the field. With submissions detailing some of the most promising applications for technology in therapy, rehabilitation, gaming, and online studies, we are proud to publish studies that have laid the ground- work for this ever-changing field up to this point. This year we are focusing on more in-depth studies, while in 2008, many of our articles served as a review of specialty areas in cybertherapy and rehabilitation. I am grateful for all the authors’ hard work, groundbreaking ideas, and sci- entific rigor in disseminating findings to help progress our community. I am both pleased and honored to pub- lish the articles in this issue knowing full well the time, energy, and countless hours these papers required.
In our first paper, Tarnanas et al. describes the basic sys- tem architecture used for virtual reality (VR) emotional human agents and develops a new method of a relative scored personality measure. The article discusses the use of VR as a potential tool for personnel screening and selection in organizations.

The second article by King and Delfabbro evaluates the status of heavy game players in comparison with Australian normative data. The physical and mental health of over 400 users, described as “heavy” video game players, was assessed.

Next, Hoffman et al. studies how interactivity influences the magnitude of VR analgesia. Hoffman explores immer- sive VR as an alternative to traditional pain medications for burn victims during their treatment. The use of a high-tech helmet has broken ground on this interactive vs. non-inter- active VR study.

The fourth article by Kott et al. uses a VR system combined with treadmill training for children with cerebral palsy. This pilot study combines treatment with the element of playful gaming to incorporate rehabilitation and technolo- gy with a level of fun.

Dr. Griffiths, in our fifth article, examines Internet addic- tion behavior and the use of Internet help and therapy for those suffering from it. It also investigates various types of online help and therapy available for online problem gam- blers and evaluates their overall effectiveness.

Next, Russoniello et al. investigates the effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress. Russoniello et al. discusses the possible use of games to help treat stress-related medical disorders, including diabetes and depression. This study points to the potential of video games to both prevent and treat stress-related medical orders.

Our final paper, by Zurlo and Riva, discusses electronic brainstorming for creative idea generation. The study examined how the personality traits of group members and the characteristics of the communication process may impact both group creativity and productivity.

Once more, I would like to thank the authors for their incredible work and dedication to this growing discipline. I also want to thank JCR’s Associate Editors: Professor Botella, Professor Bouchard, Professor Gamberini, and Professor Riva for their leadership and hard work; as well as our internationally renowned Editorial Board for their many contributions.    Our next issue will continue to explore the ways in which technology influences and enhances the healthcare of citizens throughout the world. JCR is interested in original research and ideas for future thematic issues from you, our readers. This is your journal, so please contact us with your interesting manuscripts and ideas. Thank you for your continuing support of JCR. The possibilities and potential for advanced technology in healthcare are unlimited, and I am proud to be a part of such a thriving and groundbreaking community. To employ a famous quote: “Together, we can make a difference!” We can change healthcare as we know it!

 

 

Brenda K. Wiederhold, Ph.D., MBA, BCIA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality Medical Institute