Running Virtual Environment-Based Experiments Online

Abstract

Conducting behavioral experiments online enables researchers to obtain large sample sizes quickly. Existing tools for online experiments are primarily suited for text and 2-D images, while bringing 3-D virtual environment experiences to the web for research remains a challenge. This technical note describes a process to present complex 3-D virtual environments to online participants and collect the resulting data. The process starts with a virtual environment built in Unity and describes the steps to display the virtual environment in the context of a Qualtrics questionnaire, including how to save data into a Qualtrics user record. Code and examples are provided with the hope that other researchers can conveniently follow this process to conduct online behavioral experiments using 3-D virtual environments.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2022
Accession Number
AD1164350

Entities

People

  • Ashley H. Oiknine
  • Benjamin T. Files
  • Bianca Dalangin
  • Kimberly A. Pollard

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Best Practices
  • Compression
  • Computer Programs
  • Containers
  • Environment
  • Human Systems Integration
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Instructions
  • Internet
  • Javascript Programming Language
  • Military Research
  • Operating Systems
  • Questionnaires
  • Surveys
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional
  • Virtual Reality
  • Web Browsers

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Computer Science.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.