虚拟接触对负性情绪的干预效果研究

The Study of the Intervention Effects of Virtual Contact on Negative Emotions

摘要: 目的：探究虚拟接触(拥抱)对个体负性情绪干预效果的影响，以及拥抱对象的影响作用。方法：研究一选取27名女性被试，采用被试内实验设计，实验组条件下被试和虚拟人物进行拥抱，对照组条件下虚拟人物出现但并不进行拥抱，使用主观情绪问卷和生物反馈仪记录被试在实验中的情绪变化，比较干预前后的负性情绪水平。研究二选取37名女性被试，采用被试内实验设计，探究拥抱对象为物体、陌生人、熟悉人三种条件下个体负性情绪调节效果。结果：实验一结果显示，与虚拟人物进行拥抱交互之后被试的主观情绪水平显著下降，心率显著下降。实验二结果显示，组间的主观情绪有显著差异，拥抱熟悉人对个体的负性情绪的干预最有效。结论：“拥抱”作为情感触摸的一种方式，可以在一定程度上调节个体负性情绪，拥抱对象对个体的情绪调节水平主观情绪水平有显著差异。

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of virtual affective contact, specifically the act of hugging, on the amelioration of negative emotional states in individuals, and to assess the differential impact of the object of the embrace. Method: Study One utilized a within-subjects experimental design with a cohort of 27 female participants. The experimental condition involved participants engaging in a virtual hugging interaction with a simulated character, contrasting with a control condition where the character was present without the hugging interaction. Subjective mood questionnaires and physiological biofeedback measurements were employed to document emotional fluctuations throughout the experiment, with a comparative analysis of negative emotional levels pre- and post-intervention. Study Two expanded the inquiry to include 37 female participants, also within a within-subjects design, to examine the effects of hugging an inanimate object, a stranger, and a familiar person on the regulation of negative emotions. Results: The results of Study One showed that after interacting with the virtual character through hugging, there was a significant decrease in the participants’ subjective emotional levels, with a t-value (26) of 5.047, p < 0.001, and a Cohen’s d of 1.08. There was also a significant decrease in heart rate, with a t-value (26) of 3.270, p = 0.003, and a Cohen’s d of 0.46. Conclusion: “Hugging,” as a form of emotional touch, can to some extent regulate individual negative emotions, and there is a significant difference in the level of emotional regulation based on the object of the hug.